Cebu needs more MICE facilities

Aside from building more hotel rooms in Cebu to accommodate the anticipated surge in tourist arrivals, Cebu is likewise encouraged to add more capacity for MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) accommodations.

In a market survey conducted by Canadian consultancy firm, Colliers International Philippines, revealed that Cebu’s appeal as both leisure and business destinations, attracts more MICE organizers abroad, specifically from the ASEAN region.

“We see the regional event further boosting Cebu’s overall hotel occupancy in 2019 and raising Cebu’s stature as a MICE destination in the region,” Collier’s forecasted.

Hotels near Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) are preferred venues for major events and should maximize this advantage over hotels located at the Cebu Business Park and IT Park by expanding and building new MICE facilities.

Likewise, Colliers encourages developers to complement their hotels with MICE facilities as Cebu is becoming a popular choice for major international events.

Over the past three years, Cebu successfully hosted a number of major international events such as APEC ministerial meetings, International Eucharistic Congress, and preliminary events of the Miss Universe 2017 pageant. Cebu is also among the cities that hosted a number of ASEAN 2017 meetings.

In 2019, Cebu is scheduled to host the Asia Routes conference and is just the second Philippine city to host the largest gathering of air transport stakeholders across the region. Manila hosted the event in 2016.

Meanwhile, Janet Tan-Collis, president of Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organizers & Suppliers (SACEOS), believes that Cebu could make big in tourism and MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) capitalizing its own charm, “you already have the diamonds, make them shine.”

In her recent visit to Cebu, Tan-Collis suggested that stakeholders in the tourism and MICE events suppliers should improve their promotional come-ons, to catch the attention of the huge global MICE market.

Tan-Collis also mentioned the creation of more MICE facilities in Cebu that could accommodate big ticket conventions and events.