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Destination Philippines MAY-JUN 2018 43 MEETINGS & CONVENTIONS MCMAG-ASIA.COM A state programme dubbed "Build, Build, Build" covers 75 agship projects that include six airports, nine railways, and four seaports. And a US$985-million subway system for Metro Manila, projected to be partially operational as early as two years from now, is expected to ease the metro's trac nightmare and give the destination a boost. There is no shortage of proposals to improve the country's aviation infrastructure: on the table are three separate proposals to boost the destination's main gateway. A US$7- billion tender was oered to upgrade the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on top of two other proposals—a destinations like Ilocos Sur in northern Philippines and meetings and conferences destinations like Davao City in the south will become more accessible with the expansion and upgrading of regional airports. Two new convention centres in Cebu and Clark are also scheduled to be operational by 2019. Meanwhile, key MICE hubs like Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao City are stepping up eorts to sustain growth in the aftermath of the closure of Boracay island, the Philippines' third most-visited destination after Metro Manila and Cebu. Resorts on Mactan island in Cebu, for instance, are bracing for transfers of bookings for weddings and incentives business from Boracay. In Davao City, hotels are averaging occupancy rates in the 80s year-round, according to hoteliers. Even Metro Manila may see a spike in arrivals when the Department of Tourism (DOT) pilots a campaign to promote day tour stops around the metro. These destinations include Tagaytay City, and the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Quezon, Zambales, and Bataan, which are all within a three-hour drive from the metro. The Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) said it will sponsor fam tours for travel agents to these stops in the hope of rekindling interest in day tours around Metro Manila. The proposed airport in Bulacan US$14-billion oer for a new gateway in Bulacan province north of the metro and a US$12-billion oer for a similar project in Cavite south of the metro. The construction of these new airports is expected to redene the Philippines as a MICE destination and lay out a spread of new choices and options for MICE travellers. Incentive Philippines makes haste in ramping up infrastructure projects to attract MICE arrivals. WORDS BING J. JALECO WARNING: Construction ahead! PHOTO CREDIT: TOURISM PROMOTIONS BOARD Construction projects are ongoing in Makati City in Manila PHOTO CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES