Subic marketed as MICE hub
Posted on February 7th, 2010
The Subic Bay Freeport is fast becoming the country’s center of meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE). This was noted by Department of Tourism Secretary Ace Durano during the opening of the MICECON 2010 held recently.
“Subic opens up a new world for MICE since it offers a very wide array of both man-made and natural facilities for corporate guests who mostly comprise this $300 billion global market, just one percent of which can add $3 billion to our consistently growing tourism dollar receipts,” he said.
Durano said that delegates who attended the said convention are expected to contribute to that goal as they spread the good news about Subic and the Northern Philippines when they return home to their respective countries and clientele.
Participants coming from the Philippines are then poised to step up and adapt their marketing and product development efforts to meet specific global requirements, especially now that MICE is becoming a very popular business tool worldwide.
It was the first time that a MICE event was held north of Manila. Previous conventions were staged in Cebu, Boracay, Davao, Bacolod and Batangas. Durano said the staging of MICECON 2010 in Subic was intended to develop and market the North as another MICE destination outside Manila.
The event was held at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center. It also brought in guest from around the Freeport and along the Subic-Clark corridor. This include Balanga town in Bataan, which is now a popular destination for bird watching.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armand Arreza who welcomed the guests during Saturday’s opening ceremonies said, “This tour of North Philippines will all the more highlight Subic’ complete amenities for MICE activities as these complement those of its neighboring localities.”
“Moreover, the SBMA maintains a large pool of qualified and English-speaking workforce, mainly from the city of Olongapo and the nearby provinces of Zambales and Bataan,” he added.
