WITH more international flights linking Davao City, there is a need to expand “Halal tourism” opportunities in the region.
“Nag-increase na po flights natin from Qatar, originally it was once a week. Now three times a week na po, tumataas na po tourists natin galing Qatar,” says Marilou Ampuan, the president of the Philippine Halal Trade and Tourism Advocacy and the current vice-chairperson of the multisectoral Regional Halal Committee-Davao Region.
(Flights from Qatar have increased, originally it was once a week. Now three times a week, tourists coming from Qatar are increasing.)
Ampuan said they have been promoting Davao City for halal tourism, but had been hampered in the past because there are no direct flights, particularly those coming from Middle Eastern countries.
Ampuan said the flight to Qatar is a very big opportunity for halal industry players in Davao Region.
“We are positioning ourselves in the halal ecosystem, especially in Davao Region. Compared to other regions, we have lots of halal-certified, halal-friendly restaurants, hotels,” Ampuan said.
To prepare for the influx of these tourists, Ampuan said they have initiated a halal chef-to-chef demo to orient them on halal cuisine.
“In preparation nang pagdating ng mga turista para hindi sila mahirapan ma-embrace hang halal sa business operations nila,” Ampuan said.
(In preparation for the coming of the tourists, so they will not have difficulty in embracing halal in their business operations.)
Ampuan said that the Department of Tourism has issued guidelines on halal-friendly tourism establishments, such as resorts and hotels, and these have helped a lot in their positioning for the lucrative Halal tourism market.
Based on DOT figures in 2023, tourist arrivals from Islamic and Muslim-populated countries rose 120 percent from the number of tourism arrivals in 2022.
Ampuan hopes that more international flights will link Davao City to more countries, such as those from Muslim-populated countries. She hopes that the Kuala Lumpur-Davao City direct flight will be resumed. PIA DAVAO