Philippines Moves to Expand Halal, Muslim-Friendly Tourism Sector
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\nThe Philippines is stepping up efforts to develop its halal and Muslim-friendly tourism industry, highlighting its growing role in attracting visitors and boosting economic development.<\/p>\n
The Global Tourism Business Association (GTBA) presented its initiatives during the 3rd Halal and Muslim-Friendly Tourism Forum in Makati City. GTBA President Michelle G. Taylan said the efforts align with a memorandum of agreement with the Department of Tourism, aimed at strengthening the country\u2019s global competitiveness in halal tourism.<\/p>\n
Visitors from Malaysia led arrivals among Muslim-majority countries in 2024, followed by Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Pakistan, Brunei, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain.<\/p>\n
GTBA is promoting initiatives such as cross-regional linkage tours, designed to share expertise between established and emerging destinations. Taylan emphasized that the program focuses on halal food preparation, managing prayer facilities, and delivering high-quality guest services, while also highlighting unique local cultural experiences and natural attractions.<\/p>\n
Upcoming initiatives include the Halal Fusion Culinary Festival, the Philippine Halal Food Trail, and the LGU Halal Tourism Champion Awards. The association also plans to hold the Philippine Global Tourism Tech Summit and Digital Transformation Fair, showcasing AI-powered travel tools, smart destination systems, virtual reality tours, contactless halal verification, and cashless payment solutions.<\/p>\n
GTBA will expand the Travel Sale Expo in October to feature additional halal-focused products and services, reinforcing the Philippines\u2019 push to attract international Muslim travelers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Philippines Moves to Expand Halal, Muslim-Friendly Tourism Sector ————————————– The Philippines is stepping up efforts to develop its halal and Muslim-friendly tourism industry, highlighting its growing role in attracting visitors and boosting economic development. The Global Tourism Business Association (GTBA) presented its initiatives during the 3rd Halal and Muslim-Friendly Tourism Forum in Makati City. GTBA …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141377,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_108372464460192_245495985553329":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[6681],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-141378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philippines"],"yoast_head":"\n