Travel agents on Wednesday encouraged local entrepreneurs to support the government’s campaign to attract 10 million foreign visitors annually by catering to the demands of Muslim tourists for halal certified foods and restaurants.
Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) President John Paul Cabalza said the country particularly lacks mid-to high-end restaurants that serve halal-certified dishes which diminishes the country’s chances of attracting high spending Muslim tourists worldwide.
This developed as the PTAA will also be looking at Muslim countries to potentially expand the products its members can offer to their respective clients.
“Tourism is about total experience and satisfaction. If we cannot assure our Muslim visitors the food we will be serving them strictly follows their religious beliefs then we are potentially losing out on a big tourism market,” Cabalza said.
PTAA said that only four hotels in the country have halal kitchens, including The Heritage Hotel, Manila Hotel, Resorts World Manila and Shangri-La Hotel Makati.
Cabalza said Filipino businessmen should not think twice about developing and producing products and services for this niche market as halal has already become a very lucrative segment now estimated to be at least $1.20 billion globally.
Also, Cabalza said the Philippines is beginning to attract more visitors from countries that have sizable Muslim population in the region, including Malaysia, India and Singapore.
“The government should look at ways to encourage businessmen to set up businesses that cater to the needs of Muslim tourists. When properly tapped, this market can increase economic activities in many parts of the country,” he said.
Cabalza said the government should ensure ease in getting accreditation from government halal certifying bodies specifically in locations frequented by Muslim tourists.
Meanwhile, the PTAA will be looking at exploring the possibility of networking with their counterparts in countries like Iran, Jordan and Indonesia.
“We had some talks with Iran’s ambassador to the Philippines and there is an open invitation for us to visit their country,” Cabalza said.
“From what was explained to us, visitors to their country can experience great beaches in the south and the winter season in the north. We were told that shopping there is also an entirely unique experience,” he added.
Cabalza said talks are at their “very early” stage and that they will still have to consult with their members if the association would proceed further.
In 2010 the PTAA participated in the Arabian Travel Mart in Dubai with both Saudi Arabia and Iran seeing a lot of potential in Philippine tourism and expressing desires to partner with the association.
Both countries specifically took note of the Philippines’s island-hopping tours, shopping and the Manila nightlife.
An inbound and outbound partnership between members of the PTAA and those from Middle East countries, if fully developed, has been seen as a potentially lucrative business that can compare to the Philippines’s current leading markets.
The PTAA has close to 500 member-companies involved in the travel and tourism industry in the country.
*This article was published by Business Minor. Read the original article here.