On September 23, 2021, the University of Santo Tomas College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (UST CTHM), in partnership with the City Government of Davao through its City Tourism Operations Office, present the initial results of the collaborative Davao City Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Expositions (MICE) Strategic Master Plan (SMP).
The project started last June, and will last until December 2021. Different virtual meetings, presentations, and focus group discussions were conducted to determine the current situation of the city’s MICE industry. The project team, also known as #TeamDavaoCityMICE, is headed by the UST CTHM Dean, Assoc. Prof. Atty. Gezzez Giezi G. Granado, DCL, CHE (Project Director). The members of the team are Asst. Prof. Jane G. Devanadera, MSTM, CHE, CGSP (Project Consultant), Mr. Jame Monren T. Mercado, MACHS (Project Coordinator), Ms. Kathrine Camille A. Nagal, MBA (Writer/Researcher), and Mr. Arnulfo Ricardo A. Butiong, MMC (Writer/Researcher).
Representing the City Government of Davao, headed by Mayor Sarah Z. Duterte-Carpio, are the City Tourism Operations Office, led by Ms. Regina Rosa D. Tecson, the Davao City Tourism Association, Davao City MICE Core Group, the Department of Tourism Region 11, and the Tourism Promotions Board – MICE Department.
Event Poster 
UST CTHM’s #TeamDavaoCityMICE
Tecson, during the virtual event, highlighted that the project will provide a strategic direction on how to sustainably promote and develop the touristic identity of Davao City as a world-class MICE destination in the country and the ASEAN region. It will also provide the action plans on implementing MICE-related programs and projects in this new and next normal.
The project’s main objective is to provide guidance in addressing the needs of the private sector and the City Government of Davao about the development and implementation of their MICE programs. Specifically, the project also aims to be able to assess the current situation of the Davao MICE industry, with respect to its environments and competition, as well as existing programs, infrastructures and strategies; conduct an inventory of tourism and hospitality products that may align with the competitive advantages, proposed strategies, and possible future programs for MICE for Davao; identify and determine short-term and long-term objectives and strategies for both the private sector and the local government in the implementation of its MICE programs and plans as they pursue the city’s vision to be the MICE Hub for Asia; develop a comprehensive Strategic Master Plan for MICE for Davao which will contain the necessary directions, objectives, and strategies as well as policies and supporting data that will serve as a guide for both the local government and the private sector; and design a Monitoring and Evaluation Process that can help the stakeholders determine the effective programs and improve the opportunities seen in the implementation of the Strategic Master Plan.
The project’s implementation is also in line with the celebration of World Tourism Day 2021, with the theme, Tourism for Inclusive Growth.
