The ASEAN Tourism Forum was held at the end of January in Cebu, in the province of Central Visayas. The country's second most populous city, with 965,000 inhabitants and some 2.5 million in its metropolitan area, Cebu is already a heavyweight in Philippine tourism. It receives an average of two million international tourists, while its airport, the country's second busiest with 11.5 million passengers by 2025, is easily accessible from Europe via Doha, Dubai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei.
Two conference centres in Cebu
The metropolis has some 11,000 rooms, including many four- and five-star establishments, spread between Cebu City and the nearby island of Mactan, which is more geared towards seaside tourism. Real estate consultant Colliers recently estimated that some 4,000 new rooms will be added to the hotel offer between now and 2028. Of these, 65% will be affiliated to international chains. In fact, within the next 2 years, the following hotels are due to open Radisson Red Mandaue, Fairfield by Marriott Mahi Mactan, Somerset Gorordo Cebu, Mercure Mactan Cebu, Sofitel Cebu City, Park Inn by Radisson Cebu, Citadines Mactan, Pullman Cebu Mactan Hotel and Residences, Asai Hotel Oslob, and Hilton Garden Inn Mactan.
Cebu is now targeting the international MICE market. Mactan recently opened the Mactan Expo Centre, a conference centre with a maximum capacity of 2,500 people, located close to the airport. Opening at the end of 2025, just in time to welcome the ATF, the structure offers a 2,600 m² exhibition hall, a 1,426 m² reception hall, 3 VIP rooms and a meeting room.
However, the most spectacular project, SM Prime Holdings Inc, one of the largest operators of shopping centres, hotels and conference centres, is planning to open the SMX Convention Center Seaside Cebu. The company has invested US$65 million in one of the Philippines' leading conference centres.
Expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2026, the SMX Convention Center Seaside Cebu will feature 21,000 m² of meeting rooms and exhibition halls on six levels, with a seating capacity of over 18,000. The infrastructure will be integrated into an already open shopping centre, will incorporate two hotels (Park Inn and Radisson) and will complement the NUStar complex, the luxury hotel and casino in Cebu.
Dili, a conference centre for a new ASEAN capital
Timor-Leste (formerly annexed to Indonesia) became the 11th member of ASEAN last October. Expected to take over the ASEAN presidency for a year in 2029, the country is speeding up the development of reception facilities in its capital, Dili.
With this in mind, two hotels offering international standards opened in 2025, including the Palm Springs Hotel Dili, the country's first five-star establishment. Timor-Leste's MICE capacity is currently limited to conferences of between 200 and 300 participants, and construction of the Dili International Conference Centre began last year. Exact figures on the size of the future centre are not yet available. But it is known that it will form part of a 2.7 km waterfront including a shopping centre, restored historic warehouses, restaurants, other hotels and a marina.
The airport will also be upgraded to handle more international flights. This includes a new passenger terminal with a capacity of one million passengers and a runway extended to 3,000 metres.
Phu Quoc prepares to host APEC in 2027
Phu Quoc, Vietnam's largest island in the south of the country, has entered an active phase in its bid to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in 2027. Long focused on beach tourism, the island now wants to position itself as an international MICE destination.
Around twenty projects are being developed in conjunction with the hosting of APEC, including the construction of an 18km metro linking the airport to the future convention centre, a private financing project launched by the island's main property developer, the Sun Group.
The latter has set up an airline and is currently building a second international terminal, a VIP terminal and a second runway at the airport, with a future capacity of 20 million passengers a year.
A convention centre representing an investment of $830 million is currently under construction. It will include exhibition and conference halls for 6,500 seated participants, a multi-purpose amphitheatre, a car park and a vast public park. Built under a public-private partnership model, it will be completed before APEC and will then host concerts, sports events, exhibitions and international cultural events.
New infrastructure by 2040 in Singapore
Singapore likes to plan for the very long term. The island state is now tackling the future of its MICE.... infrastructure for 2040! The future centre dedicated to the business tourism sector has been given the name multi-hub MICE. It will be located in the hypercentre of the ASEAN financial metropolis and will take advantage of existing infrastructures. According to the Minister for Commerce, Grace Fu, " to strengthen Singapore's global competitiveness, we are exploring the development of a new MICE hub in Singapore city centre that will be able to leverage the synergies of existing MICE venues and attractions in the city.".
Details of the future structure are due to be unveiled this year, and we can expect the city to propose a building of exceptional architecture. " The MICE industry is expected to double in value over the next decade. With the Asia-Pacific region being one of the fastest-growing markets, Singapore is well positioned to capture a greater share of visitors linked to this sector. "explained the Minister.
