SOX targets MICE market

The SOCCSKSARGEN (SOX) unit of the Department of Tourism (DOT) is keen to attract transportation and accommodation investments as it seeks to target the meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibition (MICE) industry.

“We want to expand our accommodation capacity with different categories of accommodation facilities in the region, hotels, resorts,” DOT Region 12 director Rica Bueno said.

“There are a lot of hotel rooms right now, but these are the smaller ones and of course we need to help them improve in terms of the quality and the services of the facilities,” she said.

Bueno said the region is currently catering to the niche travelers, as it might not have the full-blown facilities yet to accommodate mass tourism.

“We could be mostly in small groups, not in large numbers. Personally, I would like to keep it that way for sustainability. It’s better off to control our numbers,” Bueno said.

Among the niche products the region offers are those related to eco-adventure activities.

“But our products are really for the niche travelers like if you are into bird watching, if you are into trekking and mountain climbing, culture,” Bueno said.

In 2017, SOX registered a 31.25 percent rise in visitor arrivals for both same day and overnight visitors at 4.9 million.

Despite the region targeting a niche market of tourists, Bueno said they are eyeing the MICE market.

She added, however, that they are still in need of more investment in ground transportation facilities such as tourist buses.

“...because if we want to attract MICE market later on, we need this. We need big hotels, we need transportation support, we need of course MICE facilities,” Bueno said.

She pointed out that one local investor is developing a convention center in Koronadal, the FB Tower Hotel and Convention Center, a 2,000-capacity center, and is also developing five-star hotel facilities and a multi-use complex.