The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) just released its 2014 global ranking of international meetings destinations, revealing the Philippines’ place at No. 50 — one place lower than its 2013 position.
The meetings industry group ICCA has been ranking countries and cities based on the number of international association meetings hosted. To be counted by the group, an association meeting should be held regularly, have at least 50 delegates, and rotate in at least three countries.
The Philippines’ rank improved from 54th in 2011 to 49th in 2013 after the number of hosted meetings grew by 60 percent within the period.
Meanwhile, Manila’s and Cebu’s positions also improved between 2011 and 2013: Manila rose from 99th in 2011 to 89th in 2013, while Cebu from 273rd to 193rd.
In 2014, cities registered fewer international association meetings, resulting to a drop in the total number of the Philippines. Manila lost momentum and placed 108th, while Cebu lagged behind at 198th.
Despite the decline, the Philippines maintains its rank in Asia-Pacific at No. 13.
The reasons for the decline are more technical, according to the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB). It believes that Manila’s low rank is brought about by the fact that ICCA only recognizes meetings held in the city of Manila, instead of the entire capital region of Metro Manila. Many popular meeting venues are in Makati and Pasay.
The president of MICE trade group PACEOS, Monette Iturralde-Hamlin, also cited the need for a TPB research arm that will focus on MICE and gather data from more venues. ICCA relies on data submitted by its three Philippine members.
A full report and analysis of the ranking will be published by Hospitality News Philippines in its June 25, 2015 issue.
In order, the Top 10 country destinations for association meetings are the U.S., Germany, Spain, U.K., France, Italy, Japan, China, Netherlands, and Brazil. About 365,000 travelers went to the U.S. for international association meetings in 2014
Among city destinations, Paris led the list with 214 meetings hosted. It is followed by Vienna, Madrid, Berlin, Barcelona, London, Singapore, Amsterdam, Istanbul, and Prague.