Cebu is being primed as an international events destination as it rapidly expands its large-scale convention infrastructure and as its readiness to host major gatherings gains traction.

Tourism secretary Christina Garcia Frasco affirmed the NTO’s commitment to promote and support business events in Cebu and in the Philippines – “not as a mere niche, but as a strategic pillar for tourism growth” – in her speech during the Cebu Business Month (CBM) 2025 Tourism Forum last week.

CBM 2025 is an initiative of the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) together with other private sector and government stakeholders to attract more international business events. Part of the initiative is the launch of the Cebu MICE Alliance.

CBM chair Anton Perdices noted the transformation of events infrastructure with the opening of SMX Convention Center Cebu later this year. The venue, touted as the country’s biggest convention facility, takes in the 16,000-seat SM Seaside Arena for concerts, sporting events, and exhibitions, and the 2,500-pax Mactan Expo Center.

Cebu is set apart by the unique combination of “strategic location, world-class resorts, rich cultural heritage, rapidly expanding convention infrastructure and the genuine warmth of Cebuano hospitality,” Perdices added.

These convention facilities address the lack of big enough venues in Cebu even as these are matched by the construction of more hotels and resorts.

Favouring business events, according to Frasco, are the heavy investments in road and transport infrastructure. Mactan Cebu International Airport has a new parallel runway that will expand capacity and global reach while it continues attracting more international direct flights and growing its domestic routes.

She cited several “global milestones” in Cebu’s business events industry development – the hosting of the ASEAN Tourism Forum 2026 as well as two high-level United Nations Tourism events (Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific and the Joint Commission Meetings for East Asia, the Pacific and South Asia) last year.

She said these global milestones “reaffirm Cebu’s leadership as a premier host for high-level gatherings and a competitive hub for meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions”.

Frasco added that tourism reforms never seen before in the Philippines will also favour the business events industry: visa-free access from India and Taiwan, VAT Refund Act for non-resident tourists’ purchases, and the full implementation of expanded tax and other incentives for tourism-related investments expected next year.