AS DAVAO City is fast-becoming a major Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions (Mice) destination in the country, the regional office of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Mice Davao executive committee inked a partnership with the Davao Wellness and Spa Association (Davwell) Monday in a bid to sustain the city’s momentum as most-preferred destination for Mice.

The partnership, dubbed as “Mice Program: Let’s Meet in Davao,” offers most competitive incentives for organizers holding conferences and events in the city.

Before the Davwell partnership, DOT 11 and Mice execom also forged partnership with big companies including Air Asia, Cebu Pacific and SMX Convention Center.

“We (member establishments of Davwell) will be offering 20 percent discounts on regular massages to MICE goers in Davao, simply by presenting convention IDs,” Fides Castaneda Bernabe of Davwell said, adding that a total of 60 spas in Davao which are all strategically located to convention centers, hotels and restaurants.

Davwell, a forefront of promoting the welfare of the spa and wellness industry is comprised of spa owners in the city.

“We ensure that the members are constantly updated with the latest regulations and guidelines set by government institutions,” she added.

Meanwhile, increasing awareness among national and international organizers of meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions (Mice) about Davao City resulted to the influx of visitors.

“We can attribute the increasing tourist arrivals to the campaign of enabling Davao City as a Mice destination,” Roberto P. Alabado III said.

He added that a lot of the conventions that were not held here before were already staged in Davao City because convention centers in the city is capable of holding national and international conventions.

To further position Davao as a Mice destination, the tourism department will continue the Mice strategy. DOT is planning to stage more Mice road shows which will be vital to introduce the city, emphasizing Davao’s unique offering of Mice incentives to various organizers who intend to hold their conventions in the city.

As this early, Davao City MICE stakeholders are gearing up for some of the conventions that will be hosted here including the national convention of the Philippine Veterinarian Medical Association (PVMA) this month which is expected to draw 1,500 participants all over the country, the international convention dubbed as the Asian Raptor Conference on October 2017 which is projected to gather 200 foreign guests.

The PVMA has more than 5,000 veterinarians members working in the government, in private and corporate practice, in the industry, in the academe and even overseas while the Asian Raptor Conference is an annual international event.

“With the major conventions, Davao is now one of the preferred destinations for Mice,” Alabado said.