The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) and World Trade Center Metro Manila (WTCMM) agreed to boost their support for the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) industry.
“I learned early on the importance of strengthening our MICE Promotions in the country,” said TPB chief operating officer Maria Margarita Nograles during the “Up Close and Personal” networking forum organized and hosted by WTCMM.
“It (MICE) is a low-hanging fruit from which we can fast-track our recovery and increase the country’s tourism receipts. I am deeply proud and elated that President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. also sees the value and importance of MICE as a tourism product,” she said.
Nograles said business meetings, industry and incentive travel groups established itineraries that require less investment in product development or destination promotions. These are easily replicated and mostly ready for implementation.
Another benefit of MICE events is the large number of arrivals they generate. With the latest data on ‘bleisure’ travel, conference attendees nowadays even bring their families along on business trips to extend it with leisure time, she said.
Tourists who come from conventions and exhibitions spend three times more than the average tourist. According to Nograles, Department of Tourism (DOT) data show that an average tourist spends $169 per day during their stay in the Philippines.
Meanwhile, International Congress and Conventions Association (ICCA) data show that convention and exhibition-related tourists spend at least $4,553 per day on average, and AMEX data indicate that incentive travel tourists spend an average of $836 a day.
The TPB is committed to expanding its MICE promotions by supporting programs such as the upcoming MICE Roadshow in Korea in partnership with DOT-Korea, the development of a new Philippine MICE Brand Identity, and the 2024 MICECON that will be held on July 10 to 12, 2024.
Manila clinched the hosting rights for the Rotary International Convention which is projected to draw some 25,000 to 30,000 persons into the country.
Nograles said strong partnerships with stakeholders and friends from the industry are vital factors for the fulfillment of TPB’s aspirations in sustaining the country’s tourism industry.
ICCP Group chairman Guillermo Luchangco , owner of the WTCMM, corroborated TPB’s projections that the tourism sector is on its path to recovery with MICE as another significant marketing tool.