By Carmelito Q. Francisco
Correspondent
THE CITIES of Davao and Tagum are positioning to become the top destinations for Muslim tourists and investors in the Davao Region as Malaysian and Indonesian businesses seek out opportunities.
The Department of Tourism’s Davao Regional Director Tanya Virginia Rabat-Tan said the two urban areas, although not predominantly Muslim, can adopt measures to make them more Muslim-friendly.
“We need activities like this one to ensure that our business establishments know the importance of halal and being Muslim-friendly, not only to attract more tourists, but also to assure our Muslim brothers and sisters that we are with them in promoting halal,” Ms. Rabat-Tan told BusinessWorld at the opening of the Hariraya Open House in Tagum City last week.
Tagum Mayor Allan L. Rellon said the city government is planning to put up a halal complex for products that pass Islamic standards and issue a local law requiring a halal lane in supermarkets.
“This is still in the planning stage but I want to pursue it,” he said at the event.
In Davao City, Investment Promotion Center head Lemuel G. Ortonio said the city aims to strengthen the implementation of halal-related ordinances.
Among these laws are the formation of the Halal Industry Development Council and the segregation of halal products in supermarkets.
“We need these laws to push our city to become a Muslim-friendly city,” Mr. Ortonio said during last week’s Davao Investment Conference 2019.
At the same conference, Marilou W. Ampuan, trustee of the Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., said delegates from Indonesia and Malaysia are looking for investment opportunities.
“They are always looking for opportunities where they can grow their investments,” said Ms. Ampuan, one of the advocates of halal tourism.
Mariam Pasigan-Daud, executive director of the Muslim Mindanao Halal Certification Board (MMHCB), said certifying bodies at this point are only looking at accrediting hotels and other business establishments in relation to their food offerings.
“Right now, we cannot completely certify a hotel as completely halal because it is very difficult to comply with the requirements, as all aspects of the hotel need to be looked into,” Ms. Pasigan-Daud told BusinessWorld.
She noted that it is much easier for establishments to become fully halal-certified in Muslim-majority countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.
However, Vernon B. Prieto of Surabaya-based Aneka Kartika Tours and Travel, said non-Muslim countries like Taiwan have made strides in attracting the Muslim tourism market.
“We don’t know the number of tourists from Muslim countries that visit Taiwan, but the fact that there are many Muslim-friendly establishments indicate that the number is huge,” he told BusinessWorld during the Hariraya Open House event.
