Muslim travel market forecast to reach $225 billion by 2028

With the Muslim travel market forecast to reach $225 billion by 2028, the Philippines’ government announced that boosting foreign arrivals from the Middle East and Muslim-majority nations was among its priority goals. “Miss Universes’ trip to the Philippines would be a big boost for our country that would hopefully influence the global Muslim community to visit the archipelago nation, which is home to white sand beaches, famous diving spots, lively entertainment, diverse cultural heritage and distinctive wildlife,” says Tourism Undersecretary Myra Paz Valderrosa-Abubakar. Recently crowned Miss Universe Queens Miss Universe Bahrain 2023 Lujane Yacoub and Miss Universe Pakistan 2023 Erica Robin, showed their commitment to promoting halal and wellness travel in the Philippines, following the country’s win of the Emerging Muslim-Friendly Destination Award earlier this year.

Led by Dubai-based Filipino Josh Yugen, Founder Yugen PR & Events, the two Miss Universe queens arrived in Manila this weekend to collaborate with the Philippine Department of Tourism in promoting its ‘Halal and Wellness Tourism’ campaign inviting more travelers from Arab and Muslim countries to experience the Philippines, starting with eco-luxury holistic wellness resort The Farm at San Benito.

The multi-awarded resort is at the forefront in showcasing the Filipino brand of wellness, offering halal-experiences for global travelers. Since the past two decades, The Farm has been championing a way of life that prioritizes self-care, holistic healing, cultural inclusivity, while promoting the country’s serene beauty and the heartfelt Filipino service and care.

“We are delighted to initiate this alliance with the beauty queens representing Arab and Muslim countries to further spread awareness of our country’s offering. It brings a greater opportunity to attract travelers, not only from the Gulf, but also from the ASEAN region to come to The Farm at San Benito or any destination in the Philippines that has Halal certification. We look forward to caring for the beauty queen’s well-being while they are here with us, and help them put their best foot forward at the global pageant next month”, says Jennifer Sanvictores, Global Head of Sales, Marketing & Communications -The Farm at San Benito & CG Hospitality.

Speaking about the new campaign, Josh Yugen said, “We are extremely grateful to the Philippine Department of Tourism and The Farm at San Benito for this wonderful opportunity to promote my country to the Arab, Middle East and Muslim countries. As someone who has lived in Dubai for more than half of my life, I sincerely believe that it is high time to elevate our Filipino welcome to the Middle East, and focus on the key factors attracting travelers to visit, such as providing options for halal certified establishments and world-class wellness programs.”

He added, “With the Miss Universe Bahrain and Pakistan’s involvement as new advocates for this campaign, I am certain that these messages will be sent to all our target audiences successfully.”

Both Miss Universe Bahrain and Pakistan will be staying in the Philippines for few more weeks to start their training for the imminent Miss Universe competition and confirmed that a full Filipino team will be preparing them for the competition.