MICE Tourism in Bacolod

CITY ORDINANCE NO.08-14-680

(Aproved on July 9, 2014)

Authored by Atty. Jocelle Batapa-Sigue

AN ORDINANCE FOR THE PROMOTION AND STRENGTHENING OF THE CITY OF BACOLOD AS ACHOICE DESTINATION FOR NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MEETINGS, INCENTIVES,CONFERENCES AND EXHIBITIONS (MICE), PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHERPURPOSES PERTINENT THERETO

WHEREAS, in the Asia Pacific Region, as one of the fastest developing regions in the world, MICE industry development can be a key driver of economic growth, regional cooperation and intellectual development. MICE tourism can bring benefits beyond profits and short term jobs to include adding competitive advantage to destinations, diversifying source markets and engaging both hosts and guests in global, regional and local issues.

WHEREAS,MICE event locations are normally bid on by specialized convention bureaus inparticular countries and cities and established for the purpose of bidding onMICE activities. These processes of marketing and bidding are normally conducted well in advance of the event, often several years, assecuring major events can benefit the local economy of the host city orcountry. Convention bureaus may offer financial subsidies to attract MICEevents to their city. MICE tourism is known for its extensive planning anddemanding clientele.

WHEREAS, globalization is playing a leading role in disperse of MICE industry in Asia. That is, networks are formed among Asian members and, therefore, infrastructure which facilitates meetings between the countries is needed. Moreover, the World Tourism Organization acknowledges that developments in this industry can be an essential key driver of economic growth and can strengthen local trade and intellectual engagement.

WHEREAS, many cities in the world today are constantly developing strategies to develop their potential as a MICE industry location.

WHEREAS, the city government of Bacolod recognizes the potential of the city as a MICE industry location of the Philippines and places a premium on continuing private and public sector collaboration to achieve the goal.

WHEREFORE, LET IT BE ORDAINED AS IT IS HEREBY ORDAINED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD IN SESSION ASSEMBLED THAT:

ARTICLE 1. SHORT TITLE. The short title of this Ordinance is “The MICE Ordinance of Bacolod City”.

ARTICLE 2. DECLARATION OF POLICY. The City of Bacolod recognizes the value of the following principles:

1. Strong cooperation between the government and the private sector
2. Development of a healthy local ecosystem for business, opportunities, investments and jobs generation
3. Excellent quality of public sector service to attract investments and opportunities
4. Excellent private sector service and quality human resource to sustain business and investments
5. Development and implementation of strategies to increase direct and indirect employment, increase in investment, providing incentives to investors and improvement of infrastructure and communications systems
6. Development and implementation of strategies for de-seasonalization of tourism

ARTICLE 3. DEFINITION OF TERMS. For purposes of this Ordinance, the following terms shall be defined as follows:

1. MICE refers to meetings, incentives, conferences,and exhibitions (MICE, with the “E” sometimes referringto events and the “C” sometimes referring to conventions) is a typeof tourism in which large groups, usually planned well in advance, are broughttogether for a particular purpose. This term encompasses ‘meetingsindustry’ and “events industry”. MICE tourism usually includes awell-planned agenda centered on a theme or topic, such as profession tradeorganization, a special interest group or an education topic. Such tourism isoften a specialized area with its own exhibition, as defined by the International Congress & Convention Association.
2. Meeting – general term indicating the coming together of a number ofpeople in one place, to confer or carry out a particular activity. Frequency:can be on an ad hoc basis or according to a set pattern, as for instance annualgeneral meetings, committee meetings, and the like as defined by IAPCO (the International Association of ProfessionalCongress Organizers) book called “Meetings Industry Terminology”which functions as a dictionary for the meetings industry.
3. Incentive – meeting event as part of a programme which isoffered to its participants to reward a previous performance (IAPCO).
4. Conference – participatory meeting designed for discussion,fact-finding, problem solving and consultation.  As compared with acongress, a conference is normally smaller in scale and more select incharacter – features which tend to facilitate the exchange ofinformation. The term “conference” carries no specialconnotation as to frequency. Though not inherently limited in time,conferences are usually of limited duration with specific objectives. (IAPCO)
5. Exhibition – Events at which products and services aredisplayed. (IAPCO)
6. Meetings Industry – Recently, there has been an industrydriven initiative to not use the “MICE Market” label and instead say”The Meetings Industry” which encompasses all the above.

ARTICLE 4.  ESTABLISHMENT OF THE BACOLOD MEETINGS AND CONVENTIONS PROMOTIONS BOARD (BMCPB). There is hereby a special committee to be convened by the City Mayor to develop, plan, recommend and help implement strategies and mechanisms to effectively position the City of Bacolod as a destination or location for national and international meetings, incentives, conferences, conventions, events and exhibitions (referred to as MICE hereinafter, for brevity).

Section 1. The BMCPB shall be composed of the following:

1. City Mayor’s Office
2. Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Trade, Commerce and Industry
3. Sangguniang Panlungsod Committee on Tourism and International Relations
4. City Tourism Office
5. Local Representative from the Department of Trade and Industry
6. Local Representative from the Department of Tourism
7. Five (5) representatives from the private sector representatives for tourism, food, hotels and restaurants, travel and tours, convention facilities, souvenirs, and health and leisure destinations.

Section 2. The City Tourism Office shall serve as secretariat to assist BMCPB and supervise the strategies and mechanism developed under this Ordinance in coordination with offices concerned.

Section 3. The City Tourism Office shall take charge in the creation and update of the record of all tourist spots in the City of Bacolod and inventory of all tourism facilities.

ARTICLE 5.   DEVELOPMENTOF INCENTIVES TO ENCOURAGE THE ENTRY OF MICE. The BMCPB in coordination with the Local Investment Board shall developappropriate fiscal and non-fiscal incentives for the private and businesssector to continuously and aggressively attract the MICE industry to Bacolodsubject to the approval of the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Section 1. To help the BMCPB, a Bacolod Conventions Bureau (BCB) shall be created to engage in the active promotion and implementation of strategies and support for the MICE industry to the City of Bacolod. It shall also handle and assist inquiries related to MICE in the City of Bacolod.

ARTICLE 6. DEVELOPMENTOF PROGRAMS TO DEVELOP GLOBALLY-READY MICE PROFESSIONALS. The local academicinstitutions shall be encourage to develop courses, trainings and competenciesto cultivate and develop quality professionals necessary to serve therequirements of the MICE industry in Bacolod. Towards this end, the City shallcoordinate regular programs and activities to develop customer-centricservices, certifications and accreditation of professional MICE workers, benchmarking of local MICE industry with global standards, andprofessionalizing the human resources linked to business tourism.

Section 1. Schools in Bacolod City shall be encouraged to have on-the-job training programs to expose students to actual conventions.

Section 2. Hotels and restaurants in Bacolod City shall be encouraged to continue with employees’ development.

ARTICLE 7. DEVELOPMENT OF BASELINE DATA TO SERVE AS BASIS FOR MICE PROGRAMS. The BMCPB shall cause the development of reasonable system to collate and analyze data related to MICE such as number of available rooms, types and price ranges, available support facilities such as restaurants, airlines, souvenir shops, health and wellness spas, tourist attractions and the like, number of meetings and participants per year as experienced in at least the last ten years, type of meeting by geographical area of origin of registered participants, seasonality, average number of participants, average duration and median duration of stay in the city, survey of “level of satisfaction of registered participants”, average daily expenditure and economic impact of participants and of accompanying persons and the impact of meetings and conventions on employment and its comparison with the same impact on tourism in general.

Section 1. The BMCPB devise a tourism strategy to capture tourist data to also include list of all available tourist accommodation facilities, but not limited to hotels, and shall also include “bed and breakfast” establishments, which offers overnight accommodation and breakfast but usually does not offer other meals.

Section 2. The BMCPB shall develop strategies for quality home stay program and artist residency.

Section 3. The BMCPB shall also conduct market research for products that are attractive or appealing to tourist with the help of showroom operators and other product manufacturers.

ARTICLE 8. DEVELOPMENT OF MECHANISMS TO ENCOURAGE INBOUND TOURISM. The BMCPBshall assist the City of Bacolod in developing strategies to attract inbound tourism by defining specific strategies for the market to increase the City’s level of competitiveness, identify and recommend required infrastructure, generate a methodology for the evaluation of possible events to be hosted, participate in fairs and congresses, supports bids, and in parallel develops other products for outbound accounts and forge strategic alliances with the varied actors of the industry like airline and service vehicle companies.

Section1. In order for Bacolod City to become globally-ready for international assemblies, global standards must be encouraged in hotels and other tourist destinations such as standard size of rooms and services, tourist buses, installed CCTVs and deployment of tourist police. To encourage the private sector, incentives may be provided through the Local Investment Board.

ARTICLE 9. ENCOURAGING TRADE MISSIONS.  The City of Bacolod shall develop trade missions to other countries. The MICE Committee shall assist in the organization of international trip by government officials and business people for purpose of exploring international business opportunities.

Section 1. The Call Center Hotline for Bacolod shall be established to effectively provide callers with accurate and timely information and refer callers to services and resources for further help.

Section 2. The BCB shall create a standard information desk to be designated to all shopping centers in the City of Bacolod.

Section 3. The City of Bacolod through the BCB shall interface with the provincial government for all tourism-related activities.

ARTICLE 10. PRODUCTION OF PROMOTION COLLATERALS. The City Tourism Office in consultation with the BCB and the Local Investment Board shall design, recommend and cause the production of various promotion collaterals such as brochures, social media materials, magazines, audio-visual presentation, souvenirs and the like to promote Bacolod City as a location for MICE.

ARTICLE 11. INCENTIVES FOR ORGANIZERS. The BCBshall approve the application for grant of incentives andassistance for convention organizers, such as but not limited to the following:

ARTICLE 12. BUDGET.   The City shall allocate an annual budget of at least One Million Pesos (PhP1, 000,000.00) beginning for purposes of this ordinance.

ARTICLE 13. SUPPLETORY APPLICATION.   This Ordinance Nos shall have suppletory effect to the other related Ordinances.

ARTICLE 14. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE. Should any portion of this Ordinance be declared ultra vires unconstitutional  by  competent  authority,  the  remainder not so  affected  shall continue  to  be  in full  force  and  effect  insofar  as  it  is  susceptible  to  enforcement  and application.

ARTICLE 15. EFFECTIVITY. This Ordinance shall be effective immediately upon approval.