AS entirely Halal-certified tourismdestinations in Mindanao may not be immediately possible, the Department of Tourism(DOT) is currently looking into improving and putting up more Muslim-friendlydestinations.

 “Wenow target destinations first that are friendly for Muslims tourists. It is“Muslim-friendly” because we cannot strictly follow Halal per se because when wecall a destination Halal, everything about it should really be Halal from thefinancing, services, to food ? everything should be Halal,” said Tourismassistant secretary Eden David during the weekly press conference at Habi atKape, Abreeza Ayala Malls last Wednesday, February 7.

She added to make surethat the tourism establishment is Muslim-friendly, they make sure to complywith the basic requirements such as providing Qur’an in the prayer roomfacilities among others. For resorts and pools, the consideration of the Muslimcustomers’ wearing of burkini must also be put in place, not just the wearingof bikini for the non-Muslim women. Aside from that, an exclusive “ladies’time” for swimming must also be implemented as well. 

“All of the value chain,when it comes to Muslim-friendly tourist destinations, should be in place ?from the point that they arrive at the airport, all of these necessary thingsare in place. Once they arrived, there should be signages, there should be aprayer room in the airport. There should even be a Halal restaurant in theairport,” David said. 

She also said thatrestaurants and other food establishments found in airports and tourismdestinations must already be Halal-certified and not Muslim-friendly as it isalready food intake and must be very strict with the Halal implementation.