With the goal of strengthening the country’s tourism sector, Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday, March 3, underscored the importance of sector-specific tourism as she called on stakeholders to diversify the experiences being offered to tourists. 

During the closing ceremony of Meetings, Incentive Travel, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) Conference 2023 held in Davao City, the official said that investments in specific branches of tourism would diversify the country’s opportunities and potentially increase the revenue streams in the industry.

She specified “medical tourism, heritage tourism, retirement havens, entertainment spots, open-space recreation, and more community-based travel destinations” as sectors that tourism stakeholders and industry leaders can invest in. 

“Let us work together to revitalize our tourism sector with diverse packages, incentives, and strategic investments with a focus on service quality, public health, transportation, and most of all, enriching the immersive experience of our visitors,” Duterte added. 

Having served as a mayor of Davao City, the Vice President shared how the city also hosted the MICECON event 10 years ago, and how it reinforced Davao City’s position as a “major player and attractive destination in the conventions and exhibits industry.”

Davao City, which became a home to 50 MICE facilities, provide accommodations that meet the growing demand for guest lodgings, Halal food offerings to diverse Asian and continental cuisine, she said. 

“For Davao City, being the host of this year’s MICECON 2023 is an opportunity to showcase one of the tourism gateways in Mindanao,” Duterte stressed. 

“Today, as a proud Dabawenya and Mindanawon, I can say Davao City and the whole of Mindanao continue to hold so much promise,” she added as she also expressed honor and pride that the city is considered as one of the safest cities in the world.

The Vice President also credited the Department of Tourism (DOT) for opening “Tourism Circuits” and “Green Corridors,” such as Davao, Clark, Bohol, and Puerto Princesa, because these had boosted domestic tourism.  

“I also want to commend our tourism industry players for their quick thinking, and for developing carefully curated, immersive, and inclusive travel packages - unique experiences that cater to foodies, faith, fitness, sports, and ecotourism enthusiasts,” Duterte said. 

A restabilized tourism industry would bring mode than economic growth, the official stressed, it would also increase the number of middle-income Filipinos, reduce poverty incidence to nine percent, and elevate the Philippines as an upper-middle-class economy. 

“I look forward to the reemergence of a strong tourism sector in the country,” Duterte said.