How we can become the No. 1 MICE country in Southeast Asia

MANILA, Philippines — How do we prepare the country to become the No. 1 Meeting, Incentives, Conference and Exhibitions (MICE) country in Southeast Asia?

Well, we make a road map to 2030 and see what we must do to get there.

Bacolod city, known as the “city of smiles,” was the gracious host of MICECON 2018, held from Nov. 27 to 29. Tourism stakeholders and professionals from different parts of the Philippines gathered at the SMX in SM Bacolod for the three-day event organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT).  

The time is now

I arrived in Bacolod at 5 a.m. on Nov. 28. After a short rest it was time for us to get moving to SM Bacolod.

At 8:30 a.m. nothing could stop the smiling people of Bacolod from warmly welcoming us into SMX, SM Bacolod. Not lost on me were the famous Masskara dancers, who lined the three escalators that led us into the entrance of SMX.

The event for that day began with Bituin Escalante’s song, prepared for the occasion, which was about the history of MICECON in the country — and where we plan to go with MICE in the future. It was quite a catchy song she belted and, I might add, an educational one, too. The entertainment was a good start to the day as it got us up and ready to face what MICECON 2018 had to offer. 

Let MICE begin

“I recently came across an Ilonggo word, bugtaw, which in English means ‘to be awake or to awaken one’s consciousness,’” said Venus Tan, COO, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) to open MICECON 2018. “This term is imperative as to why we are here today. In the Meeting Incentives Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) conference we should be aware of all that is happening all around us.”

She added that, as travel professionals, it is important that they stay awake and mindful of what they must do to successfully use their resources sufficiently as they work towards an inclusive and sustainable community and meet their targets under the MICE Roadmap 2030.

“We will listen to dialogues on strategic selling ideas, developing creative skills, starting a MICE niche here and even choosing adventures that matter,” she added. “I am confident we will all be impressed and thus help the Philippines in becoming not only a MICE powerhouse but also the flag bearer of sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia and an inspiration for global travel in the tourism ecosystem.”

Tan added that Bacolod is known as the “City of Smiles” and for its Masskara festival, a shining beacon of resilience and determination rising from adversity.

Bacolod City’s hosting of MICECON 2018 is certainly a boost to Negros Occidental, a province that has risen from the worst economic conditions to being the contributor of progressive governance it is today.

Bituin Escalante and the Masskara dancers

Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia thanked the DOT under Sec. Berna Romulo-Puyat and TBP under COO Venus Tan for bringing the MICE Convention to his City. “This year we celebrate our 80th charter anniversary,” he said. “The tourism sector has been undergoing changes brought about by the evolution of new communication and media technologies that are rapidly transforming the way we source, pay for and share our travel experiences. The MICECON presents a very useful platform for all of us to breed and share ideas, identify emerging trends and create more opportunities.”

Travel has changed in the past years, according to Leonardia. In the past a person would find a travel agent to find the best travel packages and then when done, pick up their ticket. They would have flown to their destination and taken their photos with their film camera.

“The digital age has brought change and all these,” he said. “Now we find travel agents with packages online and we book with them.  These changes mean that we need to step up our efforts to appeal to our potential visitors and keep upgrading our destinations and people in order to attract more of visitors to come to our areas.”

The local government of Bacolod is emphasizing the development of new tourism products that will help differentiate Bacolod from other destinations.

“We believe new government measures will enhance the tourism appeal of Bacolod City and establish our position as a premier MICE destination,” Mayor Leonardia added. “If we believe that tourism is an industry that can stir the economy, we should create our own attractions. This is what we have seen because we give focus to the Masskara Festival and also to the people of Bacolod who are always smiling and willing to share our place with visitors.”

As we sat and listened to Tan and Leonardia, we were impressed with the enthusiasm that both of them had for the future of Philippine tourism. And that they were sure that it would move forward because we have the people and our culture is such that there is much for foreign visitors to come back for.

But there are many challenges as well. DOT assistant secretary Robert Alabado said, “I was telling COO Venus that we started MICE in the ’70s and the PICC was one of the best facilities that we had in our part of the world at the time. We are very proud of SMX but we need more investments to come. We are not yet ready but with the proper support of the government, the business sector, and the different tourism stakeholders, I think the 2030 vision of becoming the lead MICE country here in our part of the world is not farfetched.”

He added that what we lack now is infrastructure. But, in terms of hosting, Filipinos know how to smile — it is very natural for us. It is this attitude of warmly welcoming our guests that makes tourists come back to the Philippines for a second or even a third time.

Would you believe that other countries want to come here just to learn how to smile naturally?” he said. “Natural tayo mag-host. It is innate in our culture for us to be very nurturing.”

MICECON 2018 brought together 300 participants from airlines, hotels, resorts, event and conventions industries. Speakers included leaders in the field like Susan Sarafati of The Center Association Leadership and Liz Jackson of the Association Management Group. Broadcaster Tina Altierri led the discussion of the new normal in communication. Other speakers included Makansutra founder KF Seetoh and Anton Diaz of Awesome Planet, who discussed the digitalization of today’s travel industry. Another interesting topic was “Taking Humor Seriously” by Scott Friedman, a motivational humorist.

The talks centered mainly on how to prepare to become a MICE destination par excellence.

On the way

“Infrastructure is still a problem,” said Alabado. “But while we don’t have the big venues, we can invite people from Singapore with board meetings to hold it here and we can give them the experience of a board meeting that they have never experienced before.”

It is easy for local tourists like me to take a lot of things for granted — the extra smile we get from the security guard when I am in a hurry, the gesture to help when I have loads to carry or a greeting of “Good morning” when my day started badly — but these are what make the Philippines a destination of choice and what our people have to offer.

 “There are three things that we at TBP will look after: high-spend, extended stay and optimal experience,” said Tan. “But the experiential aspect will make the Philippines attractive and draw both domestic and international visitors.”

Even the jaded questions at the press con couldn’t dampen the enthusiastic spirit that Tan, Alobado, Leonardia and other tourism officials had.

“We talk about what is Instagrammable in Bacolod, but it is not about only that, it is about the ultimate experience,” said COO Tan.  “And this is what will make people extend their stay. When you have that optimal experience you have a story to tell. The narrative that you put in your destination is what will be retained in people’s minds — and that will translate to tourism.”