Travel agencies urge businesses to cater to Muslim visitors

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA), the country’s largest group of travel agents, has urged local entrepreneurs to establish businesses catering to Muslim tourists such as halal-certified foods and restaurants to support the government’s campaign to attract more foreign visitors.

PTAA president John Paul Cabalza said the country currently has a shortage of mid-to-high-end restaurants that serve halal-certified dishes, diminishing chances of attracting high-spending Muslim tourists worldwide.

He said they are also 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.

Only four hotels in the country have halal kitchens: The Heritage Hotel, Manila Hotel, Resorts World Manila and Shangri-La Hotel Makati.

Cabalza said Filipino businessmen should develop and produce products and services for this niche market as halal has already become a very lucrative segment, estimated to be valued at least $1.2 billion internationally.

The PTAA official said the Philippines is beginning to attract more visitors from countries that have sizeable 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 one particular support is to ensure ease in getting accreditation from government halal certifying bodies, specifically in locations frequented by Muslim tourists.

The PTAA president added they would explore the possibility of networking with their counterparts in countries like Iran, Jordan and Indonesia.

Cabalza said talks are at their very early stage, and they still have to consult with their members before proceeding further.

“We will have to assess if we can link up with our counterparts in those countries,” he said.

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 interest to partner with the association.

Both countries specifically took note of the 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, is seen as a potentially lucrative business that can compare to the Philippines’ current leading markets.

The PTAA has close to 500 member companies involved in the travel and tourism industry.