DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said the Philippines is on track as a premier MICE (Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, and Exhibitions) destination and the industry in the country is unique since it is the only country to package it with pre-and post-tours packages for foreign visitors and exhibitors.
The tourism secretary made the statement at the MICE Conference (M.I.C.E. CON) 2024 organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and Clark Development Corporation. Around 750 participants from the tourism and business events sectors participated in the three-day event held at SMX Convention Clark in Pampanga.
“There is a very complimentary climate for MICE in the Philippines in that not only are we able to provide business events, but also we are able to provide unforgettable experiences through the destinations that our delegates and tourists can visit prior to their conventions and after,” she said.
She added that the Philippines has a wide portfolio of assets that it can offer for the MICE industry, one of which is the Filipino tourism workers.
And to further promote the MICE industry in the Philippines, TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Montemayor Nograles said the agency has created its own MICE salesforce. “Their goal is to reach out to the HR managers, associations, corporations, global corporations and present the MICE products, experiences, and other offers and hopefully get more visitors into the country.”
Nograles also pointed to the agency’s enhanced MICE Plus Program, an incentivized package for big groups flying in to the country, which includes airport transfers, hosted dinners and designed dinner entertainment from 200 to 2,000 individuals.
The TPB’s collaboration with the MICE Advisory Council, composed of representatives from different private sectors, MICE, associations and corporations, guides the agency before launching any programs to help grow the MICE industry in the country.
“In the future, we had wanted to be able to support more groups coming into the country as a way of telling the world that when you come to the Philippines, we will host you and we will take care of you,” Nograles said.