DAVAO City is eyed as the next preferred Mice (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions) destination not only in the Philippines but in Asia.
As a cosmopolitan, Davao City hosted several local and international events making it a top choice for conventions, entertainment and leisure activities, and other tourism events.
“It has access to local and international gateways, excellent public utilities and infrastructure, world-class accommodations, and convention facilities that can meet the various MICE needs,” said Maria Margarita M. Nograles, chief operating officer of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) on December 22 at the MICECon 2023 Memorandum of Agreement Signing.
The MICECon 2023 is slated on March 1 to 3 next year as part of the annual Araw ng Dabaw festivities. It is a sought-after event as it strengthens all sectors involved in the MICE industry into one cohesive and comprehensive educational program. The expected participants are a mix of approximately 500 in-person delegates in Davao plus virtual delegates from the tourism industry.
Vice Mayor Jay Melchor Quitain Jr. also expressed his full support for the event, which he believed is instrumental in boosting local tourism.
“Our mayor has instructed all the peacekeeping officers here in Davao City to make sure that the peace and situation in Davao will be conducive for Mice events for 2023. I am very proud to tell everyone that we are now insurgency-free in Davao...There are no terrorist threats in Davao City of any kind...The crime rate has gone down amidst Christmas when we expect more cases of petty crimes,” he said.
Quitain said Davao City is on its way to economic recovery by taking precedence over the MiceCon 2023 as a testament to progress in Davao City. “Indeed, life is here.”
Jennifer Romero, head of the Davao City Tourism Operations Office, for her part said the city targets to invest more in Mice-related facilities to strengthen its bid as a Mice hub.
“For us to move forward, we need to continuously upgrade our facilities and look into the potential of Mice here in Davao City. We need to train our workforce to be Mice,” she said.
Currently, Davao is the only city with a local Mice board through an ordinance approved on June 14, 2022.
The city government’s vision to become a leading Mice destination is incorporated into the 25-year Tourism Masterplan. JDC