The local tourism industry has barely scratched the surface of the gold mine in incentive travel, a motivational tool in the form of extraordinary travel experience given by companies and organizations as promotional rewards to their patrons or consumers, and to their executives and employes for outstanding performance.
This segment of the tourism market is high yield, comprising both foreign and local tourists with substantial disposable income, with each group consisting of 50 to 150 people who stay twice as long and plan multi-destinational trips, and require high standards of service and facilities that force local suppliers to upgrade.
Such market qualities make incentive travel a highly-competitive but lucrative profit center for hotels, resorts, travel agencies, tour operators, airlines, and destination management firms, among others, according to the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC), the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism.
“However, there’s still much to be done for the local tourism industry to cash in on the growing use of this modern marketing tool, which various sectors worldwide have learned to wield to achieve their goals,” said PCVC deputy executive director Rosvi Gaetos.
“In fact, incentive travel is sending hordes of people from one place to another, or from one country to another across the globe, where travel has now emerged to be one of the most attractive incentives,” Gaetos added.
How to make incentive travel, particularly to the Philippines and its choice destinations, even more irresistible will be the core agenda in the 7th Phil-Incentive Marketing Conference, which will be held in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan on October 12 to 16.
Phil-Incentive is an annual forum that provides continuing education, development and networking opportunities to the country’s incentive travel practitioners.
The conference is organized by the PCVC, the private sector-led Movement of Incentive Travel Executives, and the Palawan Tourism Council.
Expected to attract at least 300 top executives and professionals from the incentive travel industry, this year’s conference carries the theme “Outwit, Outplay, Outlast” and focuses on branding, effective marketing, and culture as a unique incentive by itself.
“Phil-Incentive is now committed, not just to professionalize the industry, but also to develop the host destination,” Gaetos said, also referring to the inclusion of an exciting Palawan tour and cultural orientation in the conference activities.
Featuring prominent local and international experts as speakers, the five-day event will also include themed workshops, tribal rituals and festivals.
Previous conferences held outside Manila were in Davao in 1996, Bacolod in 1997, and Boracay, Aklan in 1999.
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