The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) has launched a new initiative, MICE Philippines: We take your business to heart, intending to position the Philippines as a leading business events destination in Asia.
To achieve this, the TPB has partnered with a marketing agency to spearhead a comprehensive campaign that will promote business events in the Philippines through various activations and promotional activities both domestically and internationally.
After introducing the new initiative to stakeholders at the Philippine MICE Conference (MICECON) in Clark in July, promotional activities overseas are next, starting with a TPB-hosted lunch at IT&CM Asia.
TPB’s chief operating officer Margarita Nograles said attendees can look forward to tasting the Philippines’ vibrant cuisine, including kare kare (beef and peanut stew) and halo halo (a concoction of shaved ice, fruits, sweet beans and milk), and get up close with Philippine woven fabrics.
TPB has also confirmed its attendance at the 63rd ICCA Congress in Abu Dhabi in October, and IBTM World in Barcelona in November.
A joint sales mission to Japan next year– by TPB and the Philippine Association of Convention/Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS) – is also in the works, in time for the World Expo 2025.
There are also plans to conduct MICEConnect (MICE Buyers Invitational) in conjunction with the Philippine Tourism Exchange in September 2025.
MICE Philippines: We take your business to heart, complements the Department of Tourism’s (DoT) Love the Philippines new slogan in targeting the business events sector. But it is not just business; the initiative also brings forth the Filipino brand of hospitality and service which business travellers can experience first-hand, said Nograles.
The new branding initiative has been well received by Filipino stakeholders.
Orly Ballesteros, co-chair of public relations for PACEOS, stated that the new initiative “helps amplify the importance of MICE to the Philippine economy”, and “signals to international clients that we are equipped to handle their needs”.
Ballesteros added that during the last meeting between PACEOS and TPB, “there was an agreement to further discuss the operational component, and budget, to achieve the intended results of the initiative”.
Octavio Peralta, a member of the MICE Advisory Council and founding CEO of the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE), pointed out that it helps that the DoT is “cognisant of the need for better infrastructure and connectivity”. This includes improving road networks, expanding airports, and streamlining visa processes.
“With government support, modern infrastructure, innovative marketing strategies, and close collaboration with the private sector, the country is on the right track to achieve its ambitious goals,” Peralta noted.
