Sunday, June 2, 2024 Philippines wins Emerging Muslim-friendly Destination at the Halal in Travel Global Summit, boosting efforts to attract Middle Eastern tourists. MANILA: At the recent Halal in Travel Global Summit, the Philippines secured a noteworthy accolade that is set to encourage local industry players to better accommodate tourists from Muslim and Middle Eastern nations, as stated by tourism officials on Saturday. The nation earned the title of Emerging Muslim-friendly non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation Destination at the event, organized by the Mastercard-CrescentRating Global Muslim Travel Index in Singapore on May 30.
This index annually evaluates destinations catering to the Muslim travel market. In 2023, the Philippines had previously won the Emerging Muslim-friendly Destination award at the same summit, leading to intensified efforts to draw tourists from the Middle East and Muslim-majority countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. These efforts include ensuring the availability of halal products and services.
As a predominantly Catholic country with Muslims making up about 10 percent of its nearly 120 million inhabitants, the Philippines has welcomed over 2 million international visitors since the start of the year. There has been a notable 10 percent rise in tourists from Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are considered strategic emerging markets by the Philippine government. Earlier in the month, the Department of Tourism spe.