PH is Top Honeymoon Destination

By JOJIE ALCANTARAScene Stealer

MANILA, Philippines -- Around 30 delegates from the Philippines attended the recent China Incentive, Business Travel & Meetings Exhibition (CIBTM) 2011 held in Beijing, China. Last year’s CIBTM 2010 saw record-breaking attendance, and this year’s event topped it. Most of the delegates came from Davao City, for an important reason.

During the three-day event, Davao was one of the featured destinations of the Philippines after Boracay and Palawan, which are already popular among Chinese tourists. During the Philippine Travel Conference held  at The Regent Beijing, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte gave a brief presentation outlining the “Let us Meet in Davao” campaign, positioning the country’s biggest city as a potential international MICE destination.

At the CIBTM 2011, the Philippines was also awarded “Honeymoon Destination of the Year 2011.” Beijing Tourism Attache Jasmine Esguerra accepted the trophy.  Voting turnout showed the country beating Bali (Indonesia) and Thailand.

Sales calls, product presentations and table talks were set among private stakeholders of the CIBTM delegation, Chinese MICE suppliers and non-MICE tour operators.  Each company was called onstage and given a few minutes to introduce their product/resorts, mostly with interpreters (a few delegates spoke Mandarin fluently).

The Department of Tourism launched the Chinese Tourism Marketing Program last June with the aim of capturing the market.  Nine media entities and one major tour operator were invited to Davao as part of the exposure and validation tour, following the promotional undertakings they set in Beijing earlier on. This year’s CIBTM trip is a follow through of said lineup of activities.

Resort and travel operators in the Davao team were The Ritz Hotel, Marco Polo Davao, DICEC, Twin Rivers Leisure Group Inc., Eden Nature Park, Pearl Farm Beach Resort and Mount Apo Travel and Tours.  Also part of the Team were DoT XI Regional Director Art Boncato and city government officials.

The CIBTM is the leading event for meetings, incentives, business travel and events industry in China and Asia, and is the only high-end MICE and travel exhibition supported by the PRC government. This huge three-day expo provides a dedicated business platform for over 300 exhibitors, including around 80 hotels, to meet and conduct business with international and regional industry buyers who have the authority to place real business.

This year’s event was held at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC), near the famous Bird’s Nest Stadium of the Olympic Games in 2008. The Philippines has a 35-sq.meter booth with seven tables provided right in the middle of the expo area.  Davao destinations were prominently displayed in the huge backdrops.

Boracay, Cebu, Manila and Palawan are already known destinations to the Chinese market, according to the Philippine Tourism Office in Beijing.  Mayor Sara Duterte is hopeful that Davao can become the new foreign destination for the Chinese, who spend some $45-$50 billion on travel alone.

With the growing MICE tourism and the active participation of key leaders in the industry, Davao can very well provide the Chinese market the various incentive travel packages and facilities for meetings and events.

(Jojie Alcantara is a photojournalist based in Davao City and was a part of the Davao team to CIBTM as the official photographer.
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