FIABCI World Congress pushing Ph as events hub
A forthcoming world real estate congress slated in Manila is practically reinforcing the country’s niche position as a preferred international events destination in this part of Asia.
Coming on the heels of the highly-successful and acclaimed Southeast Asian Games 2019, the congress is targeted at 72 countries where some 2,300 members of the Paris-based Federacion Internationale des Adminstrateurs de Biens Conceils et Immobiliers (FIABCI) are coming from.
“They are very excited to attend the 2020 FIABCI World Real Estate Congress in Manila on May 26-30, which is the very first time in the federation’s 71-year history,” said FIABCI Philippines president Architect Nestor S. Mangio and incoming FIABCI World president Florentino Dulalia Jr.
Still fresh from their participation in the 38th FIABCI Global Business Summit in Ghent Belgium, Dulalia and Architect Mangio echoed each other on the delegates’ response to FIABCI Philippines’ presentation of the country’s unique nature and culture.
“The presentation served as our invitation to FIABCI World members to join the federation’s first-ever international congress in Manila,” Mangio said.
Mangio led in the presentation that featured the country’s modern high-rise buildings, central business districts, state-of-the-art event venues, world-class entertainment facilities, talents and beauty queens, natural and cultural attractions, and how to get to the Philippines.
“The summit attendees, mostly from more than 40 countries, eagerly affirmed their participation in the 2020 World Real Estate Congress in Manila as they were excited to travel and explore the country before and after its staging,” Mangio said of how the event could help boost Philippine tourism.
Physically, the real estate and construction industry builds all the tourism facilities and infrastructure that serve foreign and domestic visitors from airport to airport, and everything in between – including ports, road networks, malls, and lifestyle complexes and their component establishments.
“The country’s tourism absorptive capability in terms of accommodations capacity alone reached a total of 289,649 rooms by end-2016 as accredited by the DOT (Department of Tourism) and reported by
the BOI (Board of Investments),” said FIABCI Philippines chairman Dr. Reghis M. Romero II, who chairs the congress organizing body.
“In support of such infrastructure and its contribution to the economy, we are also partnering with the DOT in ensuring that foreign delegates to the FIABCI World Real Estate Congress will have a uniquely memorable Philippine tourism brand experience,” Dr. Romero revealed.
The partnership will boost the campaign of the DOT and its marketing arm Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) in positioning the Philippines as an international hub for meetings, incentive travel, conventions, and exhibitions (MICE).
A DOT 2030 Road Map shows the country targeting an increase in the gross value added (GVA) of the MICE industry to P1.4 billion or 0.04 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) from P415.3 million or 0.01 percent of GDP in 2013, raise delegate expenditure per meeting to 19 percent from 5.4 percent in 2016, hike MICE revenues to some P25 billion from P4.6 billion in 2016, and expand total usable space for exhibitions to over 170,895 sqms from some 71,000 sqms in 2017.
The tourism sector accounts for a significant share in the real estate and construction industry’s output as government records place its contribution to the country’s economy at 12.7 percent of the GDP in 2018.
“Tourism is a strategic convergence point for many industry sectors and their supply and value chains, not only in the Philippines, but also in the rest of the world,” Romero said as he invited local participants and exhibitors to the FIABCI World Real Estate Congress.
The congress serves as an international platform for global sharing of new technology solutions and innovations, best practices, and vital knowledge resource and experiences, among others, while also offering investment and business networking opportunities, marketing tie-ups, supply contracts, and joint venture prospects.
Supporting the congress are the UN-Habitat, Grant Thornton, Reed Midem, and World Urban Campaign as sponsors, with FIABCI-Philippines as organizer.
For more information on the 2020 World Congress, visit www.fiabciphilippines.org. Interested attendees may also send an email to [email protected] or call tel: +632 8633-3856, +632 3456-4511.