FIFTEEN tourist-oriented enterprises (TOEs) in Davao City have expressed interest to engage in halal business, an indication that Davao City players are bent to take advantage of the $3,2 trillion global halal market.
This is in response to the challenge of the Department of Tourism (DOT) through the Philippine Halal Tourism Project to adopt halal principles and concepts in their businesses.
"At present we already have numerous establishments (hotels and restaurants) who applied to be part of the project which we rolled out just last month,” DOT 11 director Roberto Alabado III said at the sidelines of Monday’s Kapehan Sa Dabaw at SM City Annex.
These establishments are Marco Polo Davao, Pearl Farm Beach Resort, SedaAbreeza Hotel, Park Inn by Radisson, Eden Nature Park, Banana Beach Resort, Tinhat Boutique Hotel and Restaurant, Grand Regal Hotel, Villa Margarita Hotel, Davao Marinatuna Restaurant, Rumah Kari Restaurant, Ecoland Suites, Banana Beach, Sunny Point Restaurant, Al Sultan Restaurant, and Southern Phil. Medical Center (Hospital in Davao with Muslim-friendly kitchen).
The project, which officially started through a halal orientation in January at the Marco Polo Hotel-Davao will look into the whole halal ecosystem from food, travel, lifestyle and finances.
The Tourism department is targeting 50 industry players to be tapped nationwide to adopt halal principles and concepts in their businesses.
Of the figure, 10 will be in Davao, 20 in Manila, 10 in Cebu, and 10 in Boracay. These are the identified key areas where Muslim tourists will potentially visit.
The selected 10 establishments in Davao City will be free of charge with the halal accreditation and certification fees, provided with workshops and experts and will be assisted by the DOT in promoting their establishments as a halal destination.
"If more than 10 establishments we will still assist the excess establishment but we can only have 10 for Davao City," Alabado said in a recent interview.
Alabado said that last February 4 to 8, the inspection team composed of the Crescent Rating, a Singapore-based halal accreditation body, Halal International Chamber of Commerce and Industries of the Philippines (HICCIP) and the tourism department already conducted initial inspection and visit to the establishments and laid out recommendations for the participating establishment on how to be “Halal-friendly.”
“After the inspection the next step will be the implementation and application of the recommendation we made, then after another inspection to double check if they really complied,” Alabado said.
The project is targeting the 50 establishment nationwide to be a certified “Halal-friendly” establishment adhering to international Halal standards by April of this year.
The rating will be based on the suitability of an establishment as holiday destination, family friendliness, safety with combined percent weight of 40 percent, Muslim friendly services and facilities availability (40 percent) and halal awareness and reach out to Muslims (20 percent).
“The government's priority commitment and thrust now is to tap the major players of the tourism industry, like hotels and restaurants to be encouraged, oriented and adopt halal in their own business because these establishments are essential to welcome and lure Muslim tourists, they are considered to be the front liners in the industry," Marilou W. Ampuan, chair of the Halal Committee of the Tourism Congress and founder of Mindanao Islamic Chamber of Commerce (MICC), said earlier.
With the global market value for the halal industry is expected to double from $3.2 trillion to a$6.4 trillion by 2018, major tourism players have been urged to seize opportunities offered by the growing halal industry.