The Department of Tourism has teamed up with CrescentRating, the world’s leading authority on “halal” travel, to help build capabilities and resources as well as launch a destination marketing campaign. In the pipeline is a series of activities to increase awareness of the availability of halal food, mosques, and other Muslim-friendly holiday experiences and facilities in the Philippines.

The Philippines’ close proximity to the large Muslim populations of Malaysia and Indonesia, coupled with its rich diverse culture, makes the country an attractive destination for family tourists keen to explore one of the most unique places in Asia. Yet it has a lot of catching up to do compared to its neighbors when it comes to attracting Muslim travellers, now widely recognized as a key growth tourism sector projected to be worth $200 billion by 2020.

“The Philippines receives close to 566,000 visitors from the Middle East, parts of Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), as well as India and Israel. This forms our base market to extend halal services and to move forward. Halal is not only a religious matter, but a nation’s concern,” Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said in a joint press statement with Crescent.

“Hence the impetus in the development of the halal industry must be economic rather than just cultural. Improving the halal industry in our country will not only serve to advance the lives of Muslim Filipinos and attract more tourists, but it could also help spur growth in the Philippine economy,” he added.

This new drive to attract inbound Muslim tourists is part and parcel of the Philippines’ long-term strategy to maximize its economic growth in the halal tourism industry. The initial focus will be on developing services in Manila, Davao, Cebu, and Boracay.

Fazal Bahardeen, chief executive officer of CrescentRating, said: “We are delighted to have entered into a partnership with the Philippine Department of Tourism on their maiden journey into the Muslim-friendly travel market and excited about working together.”

“Looking at the Philippines’ unique culture and heritage, we believe there is a huge potential for the destination to position itself and inspire Muslim visitors to choose Philippines for their next holiday.

Muslim tourists are now more bold and daring in their travel choices and the Philippines presents a great offering for those looking for natural beauty and culture.”

The tourism department will work with CrescentRating and its sister brand HalalTrip to launch a dedicated Muslim Visitor Guide and promote its offering via online campaigns including the use of social media influencers in the region. It will also use CrescentRating services to accredit hotels and restaurants in the major cities of Philippines with its rating system.

Based on the MasterCard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2015, the halal tourism market was worth $145 billion in 2014 with 108 million Muslim travellers representing 10 per cent of the entire travel economy. The Philippines was ranked 47th on the list with a GMTI score of 41.8.