The Department of Tourism (DOT) is eyeing to have more Muslim tourists in the country, in line with its goal to position the Philippines as a "Muslim-friendly" destination.

During the listening session with tourism players from the Middle East in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday, Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said they want to further unlock the potential of the Philippines as a preferred destination for the Middle East market.

On the sidelines of the opening day of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2024, Secretary Frasco met with some 90 travel and tourism stakeholders from the Middle East, extolling them for their continued support of Philippine tourism.

"Needless to say, the Philippines and Middle Eastern countries share a multitude of cultural, historical, and religious commonalities that have shaped our nations. One prominent one is our rich Islamic heritage that evinces a deep influence that Islam has had, particularly in the southern regions of the country. The Islamic influence connects the Philippines to the broader Islamic world, including the Middle East, fostering a shared appreciation for Islamic traditions, architecture and cultural customs," Secretary Frasco said.

Frasco said as part of the Philippine government's tourism strategy and direction under the administration of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., they want to reinforce the country's position as an emerging Muslim-friendly destination, a citation it earned during the Halal in Travel Global Summit 2023.

"Since then, we have eyed this niche market by strategically developing our Halal Tourism portfolio, offering Halal-certified dining, increasing halal accreditations, and conducting Halal awareness orientations," the DOT chief shared.

In terms of the recovery of international arrivals from the Middle East into the Philippines, 2023 arrivals from UAE were up 419 percent compared to 2019 records), while Qatar (547,97%) and Kuwait (130%), recovered more than 100% of pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

In addition to enhancing the country's halal and Muslim-friendly tourism standards, ensuring a strong presence in the Middle East market through participation in key travel and trade events abroad, and carrying out other strategies under the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028 approved by the President, Secretary Frasco noted that the DOT is actively working with its private and public sector partners in addressing developmental factors to tourism development, including enhancing air connectivity into the country.

"Being an archipelagic nation that can only be reached via air connectivity unless you take a cruise, we have worked hard with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) as well as our partners in the private sector to increase connectivity into the country," the DOT chief said, noting that there are already over one million seats from the region coming into the Philippines in 2023.

The Muslim travel market is poised to significantly contribute to the growth of the global tourism industry, with arrivals expected to reach 140 million by the end of 2023 and an estimated expenditure of $225 billion by 2028.