The Philippine tourism industry concentrates not solely on tourist arrivals or what the country can offer visitors.

One vital component is the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions segment, simply known as MICE. This industry sector collectively brings together large groups of attendees for a particular purpose.

Once battered by the pandemic, the MICE industry is seen to have picked up since the global contagion pounded it in 2020 until the latter part of 2022.

According to the World Trade Center Metro Manila, the MICE industry remains an important pillar of the country’s tourism industry. It is deemed one of the fastest-growing economic sectors because it opens the door for international trade, creating a multiplier effect for every event.

They consider the industry to create a platform for knowledge and technology, benefiting many sectors and industries and targeting several tourism segments.

NCR remains the perfect choice

According to Cleofe Albiso, the managing director of Megaworld Hotels & Resorts, hotels in the National Capital Region (NCR) remain the top choice for international and local MICE stakeholders.

“Our hotels in the NCR (Belmont Hotel Manila, Savoy Hotel Manila, Kingsford Hotel, Eastwood Richmonde Hotel, Hotel Lucky Chinatown, Richmonde Hotel), including the one in Batangas, Twinlakes Hotel, have collectively shown a positive pick-up in terms of MICE business,” she said in an interview.

She said NCR’s accessibility has been an advantage in terms of business recovery; thus, business results after the pandemic have been on an upward trajectory.

Boracay, Cebu picking up

Outside Metro Manila, their hotels in Cebu and Boracay trail NCR as the second and third, given their natural splendors that have been captivating MICE attendees.

“As mentioned, our Savoy Hotel and Belmont Hotel Boracay have hosted several MICE groups starting 2023, which is a very encouraging sign for the recovery of the island and continues to inspire both government and private sector to keep the promotion effort to push the island for more of these types of business,” she said.

Albiso, who is also the chairperson of MICE Alliance Boracay, recently hosted Southeast and other Asian regional ambassadors during the Boracay Business Forum, which took place from 18 to 20 April.

Boracay MICE industry, she said, is now back to its pre-pandemic state.

“Slowly and gradually, the Boracay MICE business landscape has been picking up, as the first quarter record of the current year is very encouraging. We all know that the leisure business, FITs (foreign independent travel), and leisure travelers have patronized Boracay in recent years. After the pandemic, we are glad the domestic market patronized our island. We are also hoping that our MICE organizers will consider Boracay as their new option for their MICE destination,” she added.

She said the MICE segment has been one of the contributors to business in Boracay after the pandemic.

“In 2023, a gradual pick-up of MICE has been seen in the island, making the tourism sector hopeful about the recovery of travel. Some corporate meetings, including pharmaceutical conventions, have been hosted on the island. Regional gatherings like the DICT’s ASEAN gathering of the ASEAN Digital Ministers Meeting were also held in Boracay,” she said.

One of the biggest last year was the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines Convention, which had 1,200 delegates from all over the country.

This year, the island also had a good headstart with MICE, including the recently held Prosecutors League of the Philippines Convention with 1,100 guests in attendance, a great addition to the captured leisure business segment that the island can innately attract.

She said the business sector has so much to recover from the losses during the pandemic, and it is the focus of Boracay MICE Alliance in coordination with the Local Government of Malay and the DoT Region VI office to be able to position the island as an option for MICE destination.

Aside from Boracay, the province of Cebu is also a top consideration.

“As we speak, here in Mactan, we are hosting the Ironman 70.3 Lapu-Lapu, which brought in more than 1500 athletes from 54 countries. Athletes, organizers, enthusiasts, and family members gathered here at Mactan Newtown to witness this event. It is such a big boost in the tourism industry, especially sports tourism,” she said.

The Richmonde Hotel Iloilo, on the other hand, is strategically located close to the Iloilo Convention Center at the Iloilo Business Park of Megaworld. It has been home to VIP travelers, government and corporate groups, and the leisure market.

“As a whole, we are very grateful for all these MICE contributions to our business. We will continue to endeavor to work with key partners to keep the opportunities coming,” according to Albiso.

She said 37 percent of Megaworld’s total revenue comes from meetings, conferences, and exhibitions that have been held in their chain of hotels.

Persisting challenges

Despite the normalcy compared to when the country is reeling from a global health emergency amid economic uncertainties, Albiso said the MICE industry still faces challenges, hindering its full-swing supremacy.

Albiso said the industry is generally challenged with market share, given that most destinations do their best to capture domestic and international tourists.

“Connectivity and accessibility were also concerns we faced, aside from the availability of flights and reasonably priced flights that will boost arrivals. The shortage of talent in the industry is also a discussion that’s always put on the table amongst industry leaders,” she added.

The industry remains appreciative of the solutions being imposed by the government, particularly the Department of Tourism, which has been working hard to address the gaps in the tourism industry.

“Thus, the private and public sector partnership plays a critical role in keeping the efforts going for tourism. This includes efforts like the Boracay MICE Alliance, the Iloilo MICE Alliance, and a newly launched Visit Iloilo Campaign. All these are synergy efforts between the private sector and the government to create micro and macro programs to entice interest in these destinations. We also work hand in hand with them to ensure that the above-mentioned issues are addressed to help promote not just MICE but the country as a whole,” she said.

Path to MICE

Before joining Megaworld Hotels, Albiso held various positions with Marriott International, including director of sales and marketing at the Marriott Cebu City and general manager of Courtyard by Marriott Iloilo.

She said she is grateful for what she has imparted to her new home, Megaworld.

“My life path got me into this industry 11 years ago, and I am grateful to be at the helm of the Philippines’ largest hotel operator, Megaworld Hotels and Resorts. I am very proud of the leaders and associates in our group who have toiled hard and have been resilient over the challenges our industry has faced in the past few years,” she narrated.

“I also take pride in the culture that our team fosters as we operate this business. Working here may not have been a dream for me, but I have faith that we are where we are for a purpose,” said Albiso, a proud product of De La Salle Andres Soriano Memorial College.

Dream for the industry

When asked about her aspiration for MICE, she said that by working hand in hand with regulators, the MICE sector would remain nice and an integral pillar of the tourism industry.

“With the collective efforts of both government, DoT, and the private sector, we dream that we can capture domestic and international MICE gatherings, sustain the businesses of tourism and hospitality stakeholders, recover the losses from the pandemic in areas and markets that have been badly hit and continuous synergy to keep the businesses going as well as our ultimate goal of giving satisfaction to those who choose to visit the Philippines.”