The Philippine Department of Tourism launched on Friday the Halal Tourism and Trade Expo, SALAAM, to promote halal-certified and Muslim-friendly tourism products and services.

Tourism is a key sector for the Philippines, and its government has lately been trying to attract more Muslim visitors by ensuring that they have access to halal products and services.

The three-day event, inaugurated in Quezon City, is the first exhibition of its kind fully hosted by the Department of Tourism and aims to expand the Philippines’ halal tourism offerings, ensuring the Asian country maintains its reputation for hospitality, inclusivity, and cultural sensitivity, according to the Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco.

Frasco said, "Aligned with our National Tourism Development Plan, we have placed halal tourism high on our priority agenda to strengthen our halal tourism portfolio, raise awareness among tourism stakeholders about the values and practices important to Muslim travelers, and ensure our competitiveness in the global tourism market."

There are some 12 million Muslims in the nearly 120 million, predominantly Catholic population of the Philippines, according to the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos.

They live mostly on the island of Mindanao and in the Sulu archipelago in the country’s south, constituting the third-largest Muslim community in Southeast Asia after Indonesia and Malaysia.