Davao City raises bar for MICECON hosting

Public officials and delegates from both private and public sectors commended the city government of Davao for its excellent hosting of the Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, and Exhibitions Conference (MICECON) last week.

Davao City- through the partnership of City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO), Tourism Promotions Board, and private stakeholders in the tourism industry -welcomed over 500 foreign and local delegates in the three-day (March 1-3) conference.

Vice President Sara Duterte, who attended the farewell dinner of the MICE conference on Friday, congratulated the local government unit as well as the Department of Tourism (DOT) for the successful hosting of the event, attributing the success to the “symbiotic relationship” of the private sector and the local government.

The Vice President said Davao City and the neighboring provinces will greatly benefit from the MICECON as the event serves more purpose than just that of a networking platform for delegates in the meetings and conventions industry.

“While the primary goal of MICECon is to attract investors and form new partnerships, its impact extends beyond the immediate benefits. Conventions such as these drive-up tourist arrivals and steer various economic activities,” she said.

“For Davao City, being the host of this year’s MICECon2023 is an opportunity to showcase one of the tourism gateways in Mindanao,” she added.

DoT Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said future hosts of the MICE Conference will now see Davao City as a point of reference after it successfully raised the bar of the event.

“For 2023, Davao has shown us the way. It has become a model for others to follow, and a springboard from which we can launch even more exciting MICECONs in the future,” Frasco said.

CTOO Officer-In-Charge Jennifer Romero, in an interview with the media on Monday, said the conference was a success after extensive preparations were made in partnership with private stakeholders.

“The MICECON was a testament that our preparations were executed well. And I really commend the efforts and the collaboration of our private sectors,” Romero said.

“That’s a partnership between our tourism stakeholders and, of course, with the support of our local government unit, through our beloved mayor. This all happened because of the strong driving force in the tourism industry, making this MICECon successful and the best MICECon ever,” she added. CIO