Diplomats gather for the GTBA-led business forum in Boracay

AMBASSADORS in the Philippines shared their insights on tourism development in Boracay Island at a forum held last April 19, organized by the Global Tourism Business Association (GTBA), One Klik Events Management Services and the local government of Malay Aklan.

Participants included Ambassador of Malaysia Dato Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, Ambassador of Indonesia Agus Widjojo, Ambassador of Brunei Megawati Dato Paduka Haji Manan, Ambassador of Vietnam Lai Thai Binh, Ambassador of Cambodia Phan Peuv, Ambassador of Laos Sonexay Vannaxay, Ambassador of Pakistan Imtiaz Kazi, Indian Embassy Charge d’ Affairs Sadre Alam, Taiwan Economic and Cultural Bureau Representative Wallace Minn-Gan Chow, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Philippines Ricardo Isla, Country Manager of United Airlines Paula Marie Chiong Navarro and Regional Sales Head of Philippine Airlines Leonard Bryan Sansolis.

The ambassadors discussed the potential of Boracay’s growing halal offerings to cater to more Muslim travelers. Islam was the most widely practiced religion in Southeast Asia, accounting for at least 240 million people or 40 percent of the entire population. Based on the latest data from the Malaysian Local Government Unit (LGU), South Korea, China, the United States, Taiwan and Australia were still the top sources of tourist arrivals for Boracay from January to March this year.

The ambassadors also mentioned the potential to grow the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions segment and build more family-oriented facilities, all while maintaining sustainable development and environmental protection.

In response to these concerns, the Malaysian LGU presented sustainable development projects, including the creation of more waterfronts.