Luxury wellness resort The Farm at San Benito in Lipa, Batangas is fast gaining inroads in capitalising on the Muslim market while diversifying into multi-generational families.
“We are known in GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council countries) and we want to develop new markets in Asia such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei,” said Jennifer Sanvictores, The Farm’s global head of sales, marketing and communications.
The resort has also added facilities and services targeted at multi-generation families. “Previously, wellness was just for adults but now, even kids, teens, seniors need us,” she explained.
To raise the number not just of individual travellers but also of families, the wellness resort has added more facilities for families including Muslim-friendly family pool villas, holistic healing, as well as wellness and activities for multi-generations, and a kids menu in its Alive Vegan restaurant.
The Farm at San Benito recently received a globally-accepted halal certification from the Islamic Da’wah Council of the Philippines and is the Department of Tourism’s Muslim-friendly accommodation destination after attending workshops and fitting at least five per cent of its facilities for Muslim travellers’ requirements.
“We saw the need for it…. wellness should be for everyone. We should be more diverse and inclusive,” Sanvictores shared.
She noted an increase in the number of Muslim tourists from Malaysia and Dubai, particularly those looking for new wellness destinations, a niche clientele who travel for a purpose, solely for healing.
The increase in Muslim travellers was noteworthy last year when The Farm at San Benito tapped the Miss Universe beauty pageant contestants from Pakistan, Bahrain and Egypt to promote wellness tourism in the Philippines.
Sanvictores shared that the wellness resort has “an affluent market” where guests stay 21 days on average and spend US$800 to US$1,000 a night. It has natural and holistic wellness programmes, the shortest at seven days and the longest 21 days, although resort guests can stay for a shorter period.
