LAPU-LAPU City, Cebu — Tourism Secretary Cristina Garcia Frasco sees that the meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) in the province of Cebu will not only thrive but will be one of ASEAN’s best through the partnership of the private sector and the government.

One of the notable events next year that Cebu tourism stakeholders, local government, and the Department of Tourism are preparing for is the ASEAN Tourism Forum in January 2026, reaffirming the province’s leadership as a premier host for high-level gatherings and a competitive hub for MICE.

This follows Cebu’s successful hosting of two high-level United Nations Tourism events last year — the Regional Forum on Gastronomy Tourism for Asia and the Pacific, and the Joint Commission Meetings for East Asia, the Pacific, and South Asia.

“We are confident that with Megaworld on board, the Mactan Expo Center can serve as an attractive and viable venue for the ASEAN Tourism Forum. We are also in close coordination with the local government of Lapu-Lapu City and tourism stakeholders because we wish for this hosting to be fully collaborative,” Frasco said in a media interview during the Cebu Tourism Forum and Experiential Tour on Thursday at SM Seaside Cebu City.

For her part, Cleofe Albiso, Cebu Chamber of Commerce-Tourism Committee Chairperson and Megaworld Hotels and Resorts Managing Director, said they have committed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Secretary Frasco to do their best in hosting the Cebu Tourism Forum.

“We are meeting the deadline for finishing the Mactan Expo Center, as we have seen the progress day in and day out. We know the dependence on the completion remains very high, and we will make things happen,” she said.

Megaworld Hotels and Resorts earlier said that the two-level Mactan Expo Center would open in the fourth quarter of the current year, offering a 2,500-seat capacity, designed to support large-scale exhibitions, trade shows, and corporate events — creating a powerful synergy between business and leisure travel.

Secretary Frasco explained that one of the DoT’s strategic goals is to diversify the tourism portfolio by investing in high-value products, services, and experiences such as MICE, noting that MICE delegates spend an average of $573.11 per day — five times more than the average leisure tourist.

To support this, the DoT continues to promote the MICEPLUS Program of the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) Philippines, which offers financial and promotional assistance to organizers. Secretary Frasco encouraged CCCI members to explore these incentives through the DOT Region VII Office.

Honing Cebu’s MICE

Also speaking at the forum was Liz Ortiguera, a global travel and tourism leader, who imparted winning strategies for Cebu MICE stakeholders.

According to Ortiguera, stakeholders aiming for success in MICE should: define their MICE destination brands; ensure that all venues deliver a sense of place; create the “culture premium”; tap key strengths, such as hospitality acumen and bringing Filipino culture forward (while keeping Western culture secondary); leverage musicality; and hone operational and logistics skills.

Further, she said the foundations for hosting events are safety and security (physical and health), efficient logistics, and utilizing technology that works — including artificial intelligence.

“But still, public-private partnership demonstrates a cohesive team because that remains a coordinated effort. Certainly, destinations that will win the big bids demonstrate that cooperation. Secondly, MICE stakeholders should leverage an international network to make a viable network for their MICE projects in the future,” she said.

Data from the World Travel & Tourism Council showed that Cebu province ranked 5th among the Top Asia-Pacific Beachside MICE Destinations in 2024 — dominated by Phuket, Thailand, and Bali, Indonesia—while placing 7th among Asia-Pacific Secondary City MICE Destinations, with Phuket and Bali again holding the top two spots.