/PNA
MANILA — The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) said Friday the Philippines was recognized by India as the new promising Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions/Events (MICE) destination for the Indian market.
This, after it bagged the Best National Tourist Organization award and the Award for New Promising MICE Destination at the recent Business and Luxury Travel Mart (BLTM) in Delhi.
“A jury board agreed that with better air connectivity, the Philippines increased its potential in India to grow as a prospective MICE destination,” TPB said on its official page.
“Coupled with the continued promotion of the Philippines in India by participation in various travel marts and through sales missions, information about the country as an international destination is disseminated, and the jury board affirmed the Philippines as a stand-out MICE destination through this award,” it added.
In the past five years, tourist arrivals from India increased by an average of 18.2 percent, prompting TPB to include India in its 2019 work program.
Currently, the agency is strengthening the country’s presence in the market in line with the revival of direct flights between New Delhi and Manila by the end of the first quarter.
The Philippines’ key MICE destinations are Manila, Cebu and Davao, where premier establishments are located such as the Philippine International Convention Center, the SMX Convention Center, the World Trade Center, the Radisson Blu Cebu, Shangri-La‘s Mactan Resort and Spa, the SMX Convention Center Davao, and the Marco Polo Hotel Davao.
On the other hand, the country’s pristine beaches remain as the main draw for Indian visitors.
Previously, Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Jaideep Mazumdar praised the country’s beaches and service industry, noting that “people from India whenever they come here, they say that they feel welcome and at home.”
India is among the top 12 source markets of the Philippines, with a total of 121,124 Indians visiting the country in 2018 alone.
