The Philippines has launched its three-volume travelogue on Muslim-friendly tourism to capture the multi-billion-dollar market.
The travelogue will serve as a reference material for tourism stakeholders for structured information on cultural context, culinary heritage and travel destinations relevant to Muslim travelers.
“The Muslim travelog expands opportunities for the country. It allows us to penetrate non-traditional markets and casts a wider net in terms of international arrivals,” Secretary Christina Frasco said in an interview on the sidelines of the launch at the Department of Tourism (DOT) in Makati on Tuesday.
“The travelogue doesn’t just feature one or two destinations, it’s countrywide. And it doesn’t just feature one or two products, it’s fully diversified from our islands, our history, our heritage, our culture, and especially our food and the products of our local MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises),” she added.
The first volume encapsulates the historical, cultural and legal foundations of Islam in the Philippines, while the second and third ones feature an overview of the best spots Muslim travelers should eat at and travel.
Malaysian Ambassador Dato Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, Brunei Darussalam Ambassador Megawati Manan and Saudi Arabia Embassy Economic Officer Kamal Jameel Alwidyani attended the launch.
In 2024, visitor arrivals from Islamic and Muslim-populated countries stood at 613,329, a 23.7 percent increase from the 496,724 in the previous year.
“The arrival growth of the travelers from Muslim majority countries has reached 10 percent this year. So, that reflects an upwards trajectory, and it shows that our strategies to attract Muslim travelers is working,” Frasco said.
Majority of these visitors are from Malaysia, but Frasco noted that more travelers from Indonesia, Brunei, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are starting to come to the country.
“We’re hopeful that through these interventions that we’re providing to communicate that the Philippines is open and ready for Muslim travelers, that more and more of them will come,” she added.
Since securing recognition as an emerging Muslim-friendly destination in 2023, the Philippines has been targeting the niche market by strategically expanding its halal tourism portfolio.
Over the past year, it has accredited more than a dozen Muslim-friendly hotels in the country.
In 2025, the Philippines was named ranked eighth among top 20 Muslim-friendly destinations among non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation members in the 2025 Global Muslim Travel Index list.
Arabian Travel Market
Aside from domestic efforts, Frasco said the Philippines is increasing its presence across different travel and trade events to introduce the country as a good destination option for Muslims.
The Philippines will also participate in the 2026 Arabian Travel Market (ATM) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates to bring in more tourists from the coveted Middle East market.
At the 2025 ATM alone, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) generated PHP1.18 billion in sales leads, marking an increase of 233 percent from the previous year.
“My directive to the TPB is to make sure that the presence of the Philippines is always felt in the regions that will have the most impact in terms of arrival and livelihood from Muslim-majority countries,” Frasco said.
ATM is the leading business-to-business travel exhibition in the Middle East.
In 2025, it featured stakeholders that promoted over 3,000 products and destinations, and welcomed over 55,000 visitors and 2,800 exhibitors from 166 countries.
Nationals from Islamic countries, such as Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia’s Malaysia and Brunei are allowed to enter the Philippines visa-free for 30 days, provided they are traveling for business or tourism purposes. (PNA)
