As Western Visayas positions itself to become one of the Muslim-friendly destinations in the country, the Department of Tourism (DOT-6) calls on businesses for the expansion of Halal tourism in the region.

During the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas (KBP) episode, DOT-6 reported that the Philippines has made significant strides in developing its Halal tourism sector.

DOT-6 Director Crisanta Marlene P. Rodriguez cited Marhaba Boracay to pave the way for the special-use area for Muslim travelers and families on Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.

This project is in consonance with the DOT’s goal of promoting sustainable and inclusive tourism and strengthening the position of key destinations such as Boracay on the world stage.

“This underscores the country’s commitment to catering to the growing number of Muslim travelers. As you all know, the Philippines will be hosting the ASEAN Leaders Conference next year and most of our neighboring countries are predominantly Muslims,” said Rodriguez.

Rodriguez assured that the agency has already set a training for tourism frontliners and allied services, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

DOT emphasized that for the first quarter, a series of training were already scheduled in Boracay, with the bulk of activities slated in the third quarter of this year for the Halal certification and Muslim-friendly tourism.

“We are also campaigning for the others who are also interested and would like to be able to tap into the Muslim market for Halal and Muslim-friendly tourism. When we say Muslim-friendly, it doesn’t mean the whole hotel will adjust. Only five percent of rooms are required for you to be certified, of course, among other things. [For instance], you need to have the Qibla (compass to indicate the direction for praying), Quran (Islamic sacred book), and designation of prayer rooms,” explained Rodriguez.

DOT-6 further highlighted that one of the priorities under Muslim-friendly tourism are the airports and seaports, which the agency is currently looking at allocating areas for prayer rooms.AAL/AGP/PIA 6