Iloilo City MICE Tourism: An Assessment of Readiness, Challenges and Destination Image

Carmen  Hernandez,; Joylyn  Aguilar,

Iloilo City MICE Tourism: An Assessment of Readiness, Challenges and Destination Image

Discipline: tourism, transport and travel

Abstract:

This study investigates the readiness, challenges, and destination image of Iloilo City, Philippines, as a competitive Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions (MICE) tourism destination. Utilizing a quantitative, surveycorrelational design, data were collected from 240 stakeholders representing 12 key sectors of the Iloilo MICE Alliance. Results reveal Iloilo City’s high level of MICE readiness, particularly in accommodation, catering, and safety, with consistently excellent ratings across major service domains. The city's destination image was evaluated as “outstanding” in cognitive, affective, and conative dimensions, reflecting stakeholders’ confidence in its infrastructure, hospitality, and appeal. However, moderate challenges persist in infrastructure development, business climate, and destination branding, with stakeholders identifying the need for improved transportation systems, costeffective incentives, and cohesive promotional strategies. Correlational analyses show a strong positive relationship between readiness and destination image, and a negative association between challenges and both readiness and image. The findings highlight the interdependence of readiness, perceived challenges, and destination image in shaping MICE tourism success. Strategic recommendations include strengthening stakeholder collaboration, investing in digital infrastructure, and launching unified branding efforts to position Iloilo City as a premier MICE hub in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

References:

Byrd, E. T., Cárdenas, D. A., & Greenwood, J. B. (2008). Factors of stakeholder understanding of tourism: The case of Eastern North Carolina. Tourism and Hospitality Research, 8(3), 192–204. https://doi.org/10.1057/thr.2008.15
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5^th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Disimulacion, M. A. T. (2021). Philippine MICE tourism post-COVID-19: An overview of challenges and opportunities. Asia Pacific International Events Management Journal, 2(1), 35–45.
Dwyer, L., & Forsyth, P. (2008). International handbook on the economics of tourism. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Etikan, I., & Bala, K. (2017). Sampling and sampling methods. Biometrics & Biostatistics International Journal, 5(6), 00149. https://doi.org/10.15406/bbij.2017.05.00149
Field, A. (2013). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (4^th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Gallarza, M. G., Saura, I. G., & García, H. C. (2002). Destination image: Towards a conceptual framework. Annals of Tourism Research, 29(1), 56–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0160-7383(01)00031-7
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate data analysis (7^th ed.). Pearson.
Hosmer, D. W., Lemeshow, S., & Sturdivant, R. X. (2013). Applied logistic regression (3^rd ed.). Wiley.
Iloilo City Tourism Office. (n.d.). MICE tourism. https://www.iloilocity.gov.ph/live/why-visit-iloilo/mice-tourism/
Joshi, A., Kale, S., Chandel, S., & Pal, D. K. (2015). Likert scale: Explored and explained. British Journal of Applied Science & Technology, 7(4), 396–403. https://doi.org/10.9734/BJAST/2015/14975
Kuba, D., & Guntara, F. (2021). MICE’s human resources development strategy in increasing the competitiveness of the event organizer in South Sulawesi. Jurnal Ad’ministrare, 8(1), 69–76. https://doi.org/10.26858/ja.v8i1.19166
Lallen, N. (2024). The role of gastronomy in shaping tourist experiences: A study of Iloilo Province, Philippines. Communications of International Proceedings. https://doi.org/10.5171/2024.4332024
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3^rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Opdenakker, R. (2006). Advantages and disadvantages of four interview techniques in qualitative research. Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 7(4). https://doi.org/10.17169/fqs-7.4.175
Resnik, D. B. (2018). The ethics of research with human subjects: Protecting people, advancing science, promoting trust. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93865-6
Ritchie, J. R. B., & Crouch, G. I. (2003). The competitive destination: A sustainable tourism perspective. CABI.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business students (8^th ed.). Pearson.
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2013). Using multivariate statistics (6^th ed.). Pearson.
Tianyuan, L. I. (2017). The marketing innovation of MICE tourism: Tianjin as an example. Tourism and Hospitality Prospects, 1(1), 42–48.
Vilakone, P., & Sribenjachot, S. (2020). Commercial potential and readiness of the Lao National Convention Center to support MICE industry. International Journal of Management, 11(12), 931–938. http://www.iaeme.com/IJM/issues.asp?JType=IJM&VType=11&IType=12
Yang, C., Yan, S., Wang, J., & Xue, Y. (2022). Flow experiences and virtual tourism: The role of technological acceptance and technological readiness. Sustainability, 14(9), 5361. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14095361.
Yang, S., Isa, S. M., Yao, Y., Xia, J., & Liu, D. (2022). Cognitive image, affective image, cultural dimensions, and conative image: A new conceptual framework. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, Article 853386. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.853386