The Philippines has been hailed as the Emerging Muslim-friendly Destination of the Year at the renowned Halal in Travel Global Summit 2023 on June 1 in Singapore, the Department of Tourism (DOT) announced on Saturday, June 3. The Halal in Travel Global Summit 2023 honors places, groups, businesses, and people who have had a significant influence on the travel market for Muslims. According to Tourism Sec. Christina G. Frasco, the said award is granted to recipients that attend to the specific needs and preferences of Muslim visitors. She said the Emerging Muslim-friendly Destination of the Year Award is an affirmation of the country’s collaborative efforts towards positioning the Philippines as a preferred destination for Muslim travelers, and strategically developing our Halal Tourism portfolio across the regions. “This global recognition also opens up enormous opportunities for our country to introduce our rich and diverse culture and heritage evident in our Muslim communities, and our immensely beautiful destinations, including Mindanao,” said Frasco. The agency chief said that the DOT has prioritized the development of the country's halal tourism portfolio in the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2023-2028. The DOT also noted that it has adopted a wide range of services and amenities to appeal to Muslim tourists. “These include the conduct of a comprehensive inventory of Halal-certified dining options and the pursuit of increased Halal accreditations for tourism enterprises across the country, as well as the conduct of Halal Awareness Orientations with Tourism Stakeholders, and information dissemination with tourism enterprises on the values, beliefs, and practices of Muslim-travelers,” the tourism department said. Frasco stated that the DOT has continued to pursue its sustainable tourism development initiatives and recently signed a significant agreement with the global leader in health and wellness tourism Agora to position the Philippines towards providing high-quality medical and wellness tourism offerings, particularly to the Middle Eastern market. This was done in recognition of global trends and preferences of Muslim travelers, she added. Per the tourism department, the Muslim travel market is foreseen to significantly propel the tourism industry’s growth with projections that Muslim traveler arrivals will reach 140 million in 2023 and in succeeding years could reach 230 million with estimated expenditures of USD225 Billion by 2028. Earlier, the tourism department organized the very first Mindanao Tourism Expo. It was followed by the successful MICECON in Davao jointly organized by the DOT, Tourism Promotions Board, and the private sector and City of Davao. As such, Frasco has also recently led the Mindanao Tourism Convergence conducted in Zamboanga City in collaboration with the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of National Defense (DND).