PIDS economist urges Filipino experiences to boost MICE tourism

The Philippines has the facilities to host major business events, but creating memorable Filipino experiences could be the key to attracting more international delegates and spreading tourism income to local businesses, according to a government economist.

John Paolo R. Rivera, senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), urged the tourism industry to transform meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (MICE) into experiences that showcase the country’s culture, heritage, natural attractions, and communities.

The strategy could help smaller tourism enterprises, food producers, creative businesses, and local communities capture a greater share of visitor spending while encouraging delegates to explore destinations beyond convention centers and hotels.

Rivera outlined his proposal during the panel discussion “From Meetings to Memories: Elevating the Philippine MICE Industry” at the 9th Hospitality Philippines Conference on Sept. 10, 2026, at the Manila Marriott in Pasay City.

He said the Philippines already possesses the facilities, service capabilities, and market-development initiatives necessary to compete in the regional business events market.

However, having modern convention facilities and professional event services is no longer sufficient to distinguish the country from competing Asian destinations.

“Capability alone does not differentiate us in Asia,” Rivera said.

He argued that the country’s competitive advantage should increasingly come from what delegates experience and remember rather than simply the quality of the venues hosting their meetings.

The approach requires stronger connections between the MICE industry and the wider tourism economy, particularly local cuisine, creative industries, heritage attractions, nature destinations, and regional tourism circuits.

Rivera proposed a framework built around three interconnected elements: the venue, the place, and the people.

The venue must provide the infrastructure, technology, and professional services needed to deliver successful business events.

The place should offer distinctive experiences through local food, cultural heritage, natural attractions, and other features that establish the destination’s identity.

The people, including local hosts, artists, entrepreneurs, and community organizations, should create opportunities for meaningful interactions that make each visit more personal and memorable.

Under this approach, conferences would become gateways to wider tourism experiences rather than activities confined to convention halls.

Rivera recommended that every major MICE bid include an experienced specialist responsible for designing the delegate’s entire journey, from airport arrival and participation in the main event to destination experiences and opportunities for extended stays.

He said tourism activities should be incorporated into event programs from the planning stage instead of being offered merely as optional excursions after conferences.

This would allow organizers to develop coordinated experiences that connect delegates with local attractions, businesses, and communities throughout their visits.

The proposed integration could generate additional opportunities for tourism enterprises while encouraging delegates to spend more time exploring Philippine destinations.

However, Rivera’s presentation did not provide estimates of additional visitor spending, business revenues, or employment that the strategy could generate.

The expected economic benefits therefore remain potential outcomes rather than quantified gains.

The proposal also reflects broader findings from a December 2025 PIDS discussion paper, “Philippine Tourism Sectoral Review (2000 to 2025): From Promise to Power,” co-authored by Rivera, Marga Clarence P. Bolalin, and John Joseph S. Ocbina.

The study found that the Philippines continues to lag behind several Southeast Asian competitors in international visitor receipts despite improvements in tourism investment, employment, and domestic travel activity.

It identified business events and incentive travel as relatively underdeveloped segments with opportunities to attract higher-value visitors and diversify tourism revenues.

The review also found that business travel accounted for approximately 8% of international visitor arrivals in 2023 and 2024, underscoring the potential for further development of specialized tourism markets.

The National Tourism Development Plan 2023-2028 identifies MICE tourism among the premium market segments that could generate higher visitor spending and support longer stays.

For regional destinations such as Iloilo and Western Visayas, the strategy could create opportunities to connect business conferences with established culinary, heritage, and community-based tourism products.

The PIDS study identified Iloilo’s gastronomy and farm-tourism offerings as potential drivers of destination differentiation, including local specialties such as La Paz batchoy and pancit molo and farm experiences that connect visitors with agricultural communities.

It also highlighted a heritage and culinary tourism circuit linking Iloilo, Bacolod, Tacloban, and Cebu, alongside another circuit featuring cultural attractions and living traditions in Cebu, Guimaras, Capiz, and Samar.

Such regional connections could provide a practical foundation for incorporating destination experiences into business events while expanding opportunities for local tourism operators.

Nevertheless, the broader PIDS review identified inadequate infrastructure, weak interconnectivity between tourism circuits, and fragmented policies as persistent barriers to the country’s tourism competitiveness.

Addressing these constraints would be important in making Rivera’s proposed delegate experiences accessible, coordinated, and economically beneficial to host communities.

Rivera joined Cleofe Albiso, president of the Cebu MICE Alliance and managing director of Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, in the panel discussion.

The session was moderated by Orlando Ballesteros, vice president for exhibition of the Philippine Association of Convention and Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (PACEOS).

The discussion formed part of the 9th Hospitality Philippines Conference (#HPC2026), organized by Hospitality Asia on Sept. 9-10 under the theme “Leading Hospitality Forward: Investing in Design, Driving Results.”

The conference brought together hospitality and tourism industry stakeholders to examine investment, design, and business strategies for strengthening the sector’s competitiveness.

Rivera’s proposal places the visitor experience at the center of that effort, with the potential to transform major business events into opportunities for promoting Filipino culture, developing regional destinations, and extending tourism’s economic benefits to local communities.