DOMESTIC ferry operator 2GO is now marketing its Batangas-Boracay and Manila-Cebu overnight ferry trips to overseas MICE markets, offering corporate groups on option to host themed meetings and events on board its vessels.
Seminars can be conducted on vessels plying the Cebu route, with setups available for 200 pax in theatre style. Boracay-bound vessels offer converted space in the cafe and an open deck. Ships on both routes can be used for deck parties with band performances, karaoke nights and teambuilding sessions.
Stephen Rey Tagud, 2GO vice president and chief commercial officer, told TTGmice e-Weekly that free Wi-Fi would be offered from this year on, and onboard e-gaming facilities were being considered.
Corporate rates are available for groups of 10 or more.
Top local companies are being targeted, and 2GO is looking to build ties with the Philippine travel trade too.
According to Amy G Leyes, assistant vice president for passage group sales, 2GO is making headway in its MICE pursuit. The Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines chartered the Boracay ferry last May, holding its conference onboard, while the Association of Administrators of Hotel and Restaurant Management Education Institutions utilised a round trip ferry service when it had its convention at the Crown Regency in Boracay in December.
Besides targeting overseas MICE buyers, 2GO is also keen on attracting value-conscious leisure travellers. The company has been pursuing leads from India and Taiwan obtained at PATA Travel Mart in Manila last September. Tagud explained that there were a lot of Indians who wanted to travel around Asia and the Philippines with their families, but were on a budget.
Leyes added that leisure enquiries were also streaming in from Latvia, Scotland and South Korea.
Meanwhile, 2GO has secured a pink market group for 1Q2013. Some 500 to 600 participants are expected. Theme parties onboard and in Boracay will be offered in the five-day/four-night programme, as well as bundled packages that include buffet meals, airport transfers, day tours to Intramuros and Tagaytay for early morning arrivals, shuttle services from Manila to Batangas port, and land and boat transfers to Caticlan.
A cruise-fly option is also offered to travellers planning on extending their visit in Boracay or elsewhere.
Tagud said: “We’re partnering a Taiwanese party organiser (with networks in the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia) to sell Boracay as a party destination.”
