PARTICIPANTS to the Meetings, Conventions and Exhibition (MICE) Conference being held at SMEX Convention Center learned about the secrets of the success of Seoul's tourism industry.
Mice 2013 host Davao City hopes to make the city the center of convention and tourism in the next years and City Tourism and Investment Promotion officer Jason Magnaye said they are learning from the success of the other cities like Seoul in South Korea.
Seoul Tourism Organization vice president Maureen O'Crowley shared Seoul's success story to participants on Friday, as she talked on The Tourism and Business Value of Meetings.
"Seoul ranks on top of the Union of International Associations (UIA) when it comes to international meetings," O'Crowley said.
Seoul has enjoyed a top 10 ranking since 2004, ranking 7th in 2008 with 125 meetings, next only to Singapore with 637 meetings, Paris with 419 meetings, Brussels with 299, Vienna with 249, Barcelona with 193 and Tokyo with 150 meetings.
O'Crowley said Seoul offers "something for everyone" as it is "rich in culture, history, technology and food."
She said the Seoul Tourism Organization aims to develop the city into one of the top five convention cities in the world.
This can become possible, she added, with Seoul's optimal tourism resources, services and sophisticated convention infrastructure.
She said Seoul's tourism capitalized on the popularity of social media and the internet. While the city got a lot of help from the success of PSY's Gangnam Style song and dance, it was up to the tourism sector to capitalize on this success.
Seoul's Tourism Sector capitalized on the song by creating a video that features the famous attractions in Gangnam or "South of the River" which is considered a favorite hub for international business and meetings.
The largest convention venue in Seoul, known as Coex, is located in Gangnam. (PR)