Mindanao Ready To Receive Tourists From Middle East Under Duterte Gov’t

The Department of Tourism (DOT) XI under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing to attract tourists from the Middle East, saying Mindanao is ready to receive Muslim tourists given the “improved halal industry” in the area.

DOT XI Regional Director Roberto Alabado III said Mindanao’s readiness to receive tourists from Middle Eastern countries can be attributed to the improved halal industry and other facilities like mosques, hotel accommodation and restaurants.

“The DOT-assisted restaurants and hotels for halal accreditation are currently being reassessed so they can be given certification,” he said.

For now, Alabado said they are focusing on ASEAN-member countries that have a big Muslim population.

If huge number of Muslim tourists from ASEAN come to Mindanao, Alabado said this could encourage those from the Middle East.

He also pointed to the recent creation of the halal council, which could help boost halal tourism in the Philippines.

Both Davao City and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) are vying for halal tourism.

Alabado said the advantage of Davao City is its international airport, which can be the point of entry for those coming from the Middle East, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Alabado added that tourists would want to experience the beaches, the culture and the food in the Philippines.

Living mostly in desert areas in the Middle East, he said Philippines, Mindanao in particular, can offer a different experience for them.

But he noted that they can also be sensitive in the quality of infrastructure so “therefore we must have high quality accommodations that are tourists-friendly.”

While Davao City is already ready in terms of quality accommodations, he said tourists from the Middle East “want more than what has been registered under DOT.”

With the rate of conventions happening in the city, “we do not have rooms left for other tourists, forcing them to go to low quality rooms,” he said.

Alabado said it would be ideal to double the 3,000 DOT-accredited rooms so that there will be more available spaces for other tourists and visitors.

The DOT is also pushing for air connectivity between Davao, ASEAN and the Middle East.

Alabado said even a once-a-week flight to Davao will be good not only for overseas Filipino workers but also for tourists as well.

Source: Philippine News Agency