S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 Brazil\u2019s tourism potential to welcome Muslim travelers could be better explored \u2013 and the investments needed would not be unreasonably high. According to Ibrahim Abu-Helil, a tourism consultant in Jordan, some simple adaptations would accredit hotels and attractions to host Muslims, which is already been done in other destinations.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrazil wasted too much time, but there\u2019s still an opportunity to take part in the halal tourism market,\u201d said the consultant during the panel halal at the Brazil-Arab Countries Economic Forum<\/em>, organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/strong> on Monday (02) at Hotel Unique in S\u00e3o Paulo. He stated that halal tourism generated USD 192 billion last year across the world and should generate USD 233 billion in 2020.<\/p>\n He said that small adaptations, such as the supply of rugs for prayer, the schedule of specific times for the use of the swimming pool for Muslims and staff training would help to accredit the tourist accommodation establishment as halal. \u201cIn Japan, for instance, the government offered incentives [to boost halal tourism],\u201d recalled the consultant, mentioning the Asian country as an example of investments made to welcome Muslim tourists.<\/p>\n The panel\u2019s speakers remarked that halal is not a product or service, but a lifestyle. The Arab Chamber\u2019s director Mohamad Orra Mourad said that the halal economy, including food products, cosmetics, apparel, Islamic finance and tourism, generates USD 2 trillion per year in a market of 1.6 billion consumers.<\/p>\n \u201cEverything we do, eat, relies on halal,\u201d said Mohamed Saleh Badri, secretary-general of the International Halal Accreditation Forum (IHAF), the organization that seeks to standardize halal to the 57 Muslim-majority nations. \u201cThe value of halal consumption will reach USD 5 trillion in a few years.\u201d<\/p>\n Abdur Ghulam Nabi, an adviser for the Dubai Airport Freezone Authority (DAFZA), pointed out the importance that halal has been gaining within multinational companies and renowned brands. \u201cThey want to take part in the halal culture.\u201d<\/p>\n To IHAF\u2019s Badri, those that sees halal as part of the religion is mistaken. He said that there are even those consumers that don\u2019t follow Islam but consume halal products for the safety offered, the respect for human beings in its manufacturing process and the product\u2019s quality.<\/p>\n Agreement <\/strong><\/p>\n Before the panel, Ted Lago, president of the Port of Itaqui, and the vice president and minister of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Admiral Abd El Kader Darwish, signed a cooperation agreement between the two business ventures. The Arab Chamber\u2019s president, Rubens Hannun, attended the meeting.<\/p>\n Translated by S\u00e9rgio Kakitani<\/strong><\/p>\n