A PROVINCE in southern Luzon this week landed an unprecedented three key back-to-back conferences organised by ASEAN and the UN World Tourism Organization (WTO).

Legazpi City in Albay province will host the 40th Meeting of the ASEAN Plus Three National Tourism Organizations (May 15-17), the 26th Joint Meeting of the UN World Tourism Organization Commissions for East Asia and the Pacific and South Asia (May 18), and the UNWTO-ASEAN Conference on Tourism and Climate Change (May 19-20).

Commented Maria Ong-Ravanilla, DoT Region V (Bicol) director: “It’s a breakthrough for Albay, which is viewed as something of a dark horse…having been recognised and chosen for these three events is more than enough for us.”

The emerging MICE destination received 800,000 visitors in 2013 for a 66 per cent increase in tourist arrivals over the previous year, Ong-Ravanilla added.

The 115-room Oriental Hotel in the city, which has 2,200m2 of meeting space – including a 1,191 m2 ballroom that can accommodate up to 700 pax for cocktails – will welcome a third of the estimated 1,000 delegates coming to these three events. Remaining delegates will be billeted at the 40-key St Ellis and 40-room Hotel Venezia.

Albay’s natural attractions will come under the spotlight during the conferences through themed dinners at the Cagsawa Ruins, Ligñon Hills, and a tertulia dinner party at the Nuestra Senora de Porteria church in Daraga town.

To further showcase the destination, UNWTO secretary-general Taleb Rifai will be flown to a helipad near the Mayon volcano crater for cocktails with local dignitaries, and then to luxury resort Misibis Bay at nearby Cagraray Island, Ong-Ravanilla said.

ADELAIDE is capturing a slice of the lucrative business market with 86 business events worth more than A$80 million (US$75 million) bagged during the nine months between July 2013 and March 2014.

Events confirmed include Royal Australasian Colleges of Surgeons in 2017 (2,000 pax); two wine industry conferences to be held in 2016 and 2019 (3,000 pax); an international Health Conference in 2016 (700 pax); the 10th Asia Pacific Conference on Clinical Nutrition in 2017 (700 pax); and a national Health Conference in 2015 (800 pax).

A press release from the Adelaide Convention Bureau states that a further 48 events worth another A$83 million are still in the pipeline and will be announced in the next few months.

South Australian Tourism Commission’s destination coordinator, Caitlin Jones, said: “I believe the redevelopment of the Adelaide Convention Centre has been key in attracting all these organisers because it has helped to position us as one of the world’s premier conference centres.”

The A$350 million redevelopment of the convention centre will be done in two stages: the first will expand the existing facility westwards over the railway lines to link with Morphett Street bridge, to be completed later this year; the second, to be finished in 2017, replaces the existing plenary building with a multipurpose, state-of-the-art facility with capacity of up to 3,500 seats.

A key area of interest for Adelaide and South Australia is the health and medical sector. Leon Bignell, South Australia’s tourism minister, said in a press release that the new Royal Adelaide Hospital medical research centre SAHMRI will be an “added draw card” in luring expert conventions to the city.

Highlighting the difference in tourist expenditure, Bignell said business visitors spend on average A$632 per day as opposed to A$179 for a leisure visitor.

To cope with the upcoming influx of visitors, three new hotels, the Quest King William South, the Mayfair and Ibis Adelaide will open later this year, and a A$300 million casino development is underway, which includes plans for a luxury hotel.

ICCA has released its annual ranking on top countries and top cities for international association meetings, with little change in the line-up for top 10 countries but some movement among the most popular cities.

The US, Germany and Spain continue to lead in terms of the number of meetings held in their respective countries each year. The US hosted 829 meetings, Germany welcomed 722 and Spain saw 562.

Meanwhile, Japan and China have made progress by advancing one and two ranks to take seventh and eighth spot respectively. Japan witnessed 342 meetings while China was a hair’s breadth away with 340.

Paris has dislodged Vienna from the number one spot, which that latter has held since 2005 to claim the title as the city with the most meetings. Paris (204 meetings) was number two in 2012.

With 186 meetings last year, Madrid has overtaken Vienna’s 182. Barcelona (179) takes fourth place, followed by Berlin (178) which fell from third to fifth place this year. Singapore holds strong from last year at sixth place with 175 international association meetings while London dropped to seventh (166). Istanbul rose to eighth, leaving top 10 newcomers Lisbon and Seoul to share ninth place.

ICCA’s CEO, Martin Sirk, said: “It shouldn’t be surprising that our 2013 figures have demonstrated the strength of the international association meetings sector, since the overall picture for our industry is significantly better than has been the case for quite some time. But it should be remembered that this is a sector that has shown significant growth in every single year since the financial crisis hit the world economy in 2008.

“The international association meetings sector is a solid, reliable performer, in good times and bad, and the longer term trends are the most critically important factors when preparing strategic plans and investment decisions. I am convinced that every serious meetings destination, internationally ambitious venue, and forward-thinking meetings management company should include international associations in their marketing and development strategies.”

For the full ranking, visit ICCA’s website.

ICCA has released its annual ranking on top countries and top cities for international association meetings, with little change in the line-up for top 10 countries but some movement among the most popular cities.

The US, Germany and Spain continue to lead in terms of the number of meetings held in their respective countries each year. The US hosted 829 meetings, Germany welcomed 722 and Spain saw 562.

Meanwhile, Japan and China have made progress by advancing one and two ranks to take seventh and eighth spot respectively. Japan witnessed 342 meetings while China was a hair’s breadth away with 340.

Paris has dislodged Vienna from the number one spot, which that latter has held since 2005 to claim the title as the city with the most meetings. Paris (204 meetings) was number two in 2012.

With 186 meetings last year, Madrid has overtaken Vienna’s 182. Barcelona (179) takes fourth place, followed by Berlin (178) which fell from third to fifth place this year. Singapore holds strong from last year at sixth place with 175 international association meetings while London dropped to seventh (166). Istanbul rose to eighth, leaving top 10 newcomers Lisbon and Seoul to share ninth place.

ICCA’s CEO, Martin Sirk, said: “It shouldn’t be surprising that our 2013 figures have demonstrated the strength of the international association meetings sector, since the overall picture for our industry is significantly better than has been the case for quite some time. But it should be remembered that this is a sector that has shown significant growth in every single year since the financial crisis hit the world economy in 2008.

“The international association meetings sector is a solid, reliable performer, in good times and bad, and the longer term trends are the most critically important factors when preparing strategic plans and investment decisions. I am convinced that every serious meetings destination, internationally ambitious venue, and forward-thinking meetings management company should include international associations in their marketing and development strategies.”

For the full ranking, visit ICCA’s website.