Players in the aviation industry vowed to be one of the industries that will push sustainability in the tourism sites, particularly in the Philippine gem, Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.
During the Boracay Business Forum on Friday, presented by the Global Tourism Business Association and One Klik Events Management, which was graced by various dignitaries from Southeast and other regions in Asia, Ricardo Isla, the chief executive officer of AirAsia Philippines, said his airline is now one of the leading proponents for sustainability in Asia.
“We expect that in the next five to seven years, we will be ready to use sustainable aviation fuel that will significantly reduce emissions. To date, we are currently doing what we call an engine taxi practice that will not only save the consumption of fuel but also its carbon emissions,” he said.
Isla said that in doing so, AirAsia had reduced about 130,000 tons of emitted carbon dioxide.
He said sustainability is very important, especially in island tourist destinations like Boracay.
“Make Boracay green and the perfect ecotourism. It’s beyond the white sand, as everybody knows that Boracay has one of the best white sands in the world,” he said.
AirAsia is the official carrier of the ambassadors who joined the Boracay Business Forum in Boracay from 18 to 20 April.
Surge in Boracay flights
Isla, in an interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE, said they continuously saw improvement regarding the frequency of its Boracay flights.
“We have flown 250,000 passengers already in this first quarter of 2024 and the number is continuously rising. Number two, we are strongly supporting the advocacy of sustainability and the greening and preservation of the pristine Boracay beaches and other destinations in Malay, which is very important to us,” he said.
AirAsia flies 14 times, round trips, a day to Boracay from Manila, Clark and Cebu airports, bringing in more tourists to the country’s premiere destination.
Assessing situation
Meanwhile, Paula Marie Chiong Navarro, the country manager of United Airlines Philippines, said they are currently assessing the market situation in Aklan so that they can arrange direct flights to Kalibo Airport.
“The Philippines for United Airlines is a very important market. In quarter four of 2023, we launched our first direct non-stop flight from San Francisco to Manila, the first US carrier to operate a Trans-Pacific, non-stop flight between the US and the Philippines,” she said.
She said after opening San Francisco to Manila, United Airlines will also open direct flights from San Francisco to Cebu happening in October this year.
Navarro added that they wanted to continue bringing American tourists to the Philippines, especially to Boracay, which is why she extolled the domestic players Air Asia, Cebu Pacific, and Philippine Airlines for sustaining the connectivity towards the country’s premiere tourist destinations.
A total of 630,648 foreign and domestic tourists visited Malay, including those who visited Boracay, based on the records of the Malay Tourism Office as of 15 April 2024, which was presented by Mayor Frolibar Bautista during the event.
Of the said numbers, more than 162,000 are foreign tourists; 459,000 are domestic, and more than 8,000 plus are overseas Filipino workers.
The top foreign markets for Malay are Koreans, Chinese, Americans, Taiwanese, Australians, Russians, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Canada.
Halal tourism
Also, one of the concerns discussed during the Boracay Business Forum is the push for Halal industry promotion in the tourism industry, as most of the neighboring countries of the Philippines in Asia practice Islam.
This was raised by Malaysian Ambassador Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino and Indonesian Ambassador Agus Widjojo during the panel discussion.
Indonesia alone has 275 million Muslims, the biggest in Asia, and some percentage of the 2 billion population in the world, as noted by Leonard Bryan Sansolis, the head of Philippine Sales of the country’s flag carrier, Philippine Airlines.
“There’s a quite challenge when it comes to promoting the Philippines to Islamic countries because of the lack of the Halal tourism infrastructure. It is good to hear that there are moves to push for projects because the potential for the Halal industry is big,” he said.
In January this year, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Halal Export Development And Promotion Board formally unveiled the Philippine Halal Industry Development Strategic Plan 2024-2028, an ambitious initiative of Marcos Jr. Administration to double the Philippine Halal output and attain P230 billion worth of foreign investments in four years.
To boost the Philippine economy, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said the Halal strategic plan is envisioned to increase Halal output for domestic consumption and exports by expanding and recognizing Halal-certifying bodies; launch a unified, whole-of-government national brand to promote the Philippines as the fastest-growing and most Halal-friendly hub in the Asia Pacific; create a one-stop shop to link all stakeholders and ensure synchronized efforts; develop a comprehensive Halal value chain through regional development, institutionalized knowledge management, skills matching and upskilling, investment promotions, and capacity building.
To achieve this, Pascual said the Board will foster collaborative efforts among government agencies, attract P230 billion in foreign investments, and, in the process, generate 120,000 new jobs over four years.
The Trade chief maintained that to date, there is a broader view of the Halal industry, and the world’s Muslim population, currently standing at approximately 1.9 billion, constitutes around 25 percent of the global population.
The cited number is projected to grow to 2.8 billion by the year 2050 and the Halal market is poised for remarkable growth, expected to reach a staggering $7.7 trillion by 2025 — a more than twofold increase from $3.2 trillion in 2015.
Other ambassadors who graced the Boracay Business Forum were Excellencies Megawati Dato Paduka Haji Manan of Brunei; Lai Thai Binh of Vietnam; Phan Peuv of Cambodia; Sonexay Vannaxay of Laos; Dr. Imtiaz Kazi of Pakistan, and Dr. Sandre Alam, the acting ambassador and Charge d’ Affaires of India.
