Over the years, Muslim-friendly tourism has evolved as various sectors become more aware of what Muslim travelers want. (Photo taken at Malamawi White Beach Resort, Basilan by Aziz Mama/BIO)
COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Government is working towards the full adoption of Halal tourism in the region to upswing its economy.
With this objective, the Ministry of Trade, Investments and Tourism (MTIT) invited various stakeholders for a two-day orientation on Halal tourism accreditation, statistics, and tourism circuit development held in this city on June 13-14.
Photo by Hamdan Badrudin/BIO
The activity was in line with Republic Act No. 9593, also known as the ‘Tourism Act of 2009,’ signed by Former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. The act aims to upgrade tourism services and ensure compliance with tourism standards of tourism-related establishments (TREs).
Halal tourism is a type of tourism specifically designed for Muslim families who follow the principles of Islam. It provides services and amenities that are free from non-Islamic activities or substances, like alcohol.
During the orientation, provincial and municipal local government tourism officers, councils, chambers of commerce, and representatives from law enforcement agencies shared their invaluable insights in realizing and raising awareness about Halal tourism standards and opportunities.
MTIT Minister Abuamri Taddik highlighted BARMM’s achievements in terms of tourism investments, which contributed 12.7% to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 and accounted for a 13.5% share in total employment during the same year.
Photo by Hamdan Badrudin/BIO
“In 2021 performance, BARMM contributed to the country’s economic growth as 2nd in the 17 regions in the country as far as tourist arrival data is concerned,” said Taddik.
He added that this activity is vital as it will provide new policy direction, essential information, data generation, and processes crucial to the overall performance of the regional government.
Since tourism is a vital catalyst for boosting the country’s economy, Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar emphasized the great opportunities that await in the BARMM region.
“The Philippines has been awarded as the Emerging Muslim-Friendly Destination (Non-OIC) of the Year at the prestigious Halal in Travel Global Summit on June 1 in Singapore. My only wish is that one of these days, we will be able to show the true colors of Mindanao,” said Abubakar.
Meanwhile, MTIT Director for the Bureau of Tourism, Engr. Marites Maguindra, mentioned that BARMM has experienced a significant increase in the number of tourists visiting the region.
Photo by Hamdan Badrudin/BIO
“We wanted to have a full capture of the data that we are generating. The role of tourism officers is very crucial because they are the tourism officers of their respective area of jurisdiction and they are in the best position to provide us with those data,” said Maguindra.
She also stressed the importance of collecting comprehensive data generated by tourism officers, as they play a critical role as representatives of their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Shaheena Asama, a participant from the Basilan-Provincial Tourism Office, expressed gratitude for the event, particularly since the province is not yet fully operational in terms of offering package tours.
“This activity will enable us to come up with a tourism development plan, including this tourism circuit draft for us to identify the correct way of making tour packages, and then, we will partner with tour operators for them to help us assist with the tourists to come in,” said Asama.
The two-day event focused on topics such as Capacity Development, Tourism Product Development, Tourism Circuit Development, Support to Regional Halal Development Initiatives, Support to Halal Friendly/Halal Compliant TREs, Accreditation of Tourism Establishments, and Support to Tourism Establishments Accreditation. (Kasan Usop, Jr./BIO)
