Sphere Conferences, the conference arm of Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPH), will kick start the new year with the inaugural Hospitality Investment Conference Philippines (HICP). It will be held from 27 – 28 January 2016 at the Fairmont Makati, Manila, Philippines.

With the support from the Department of Tourism (DOT) of the Republic of the Philippines, HICP 2016 aims to be the archipelago’s leading platform in addressing the opportunities and challenges facing the burgeoning hospitality industry in the Philippines.

To achieve the target of10 million tourist arrivals in 2015, much has been done in anticipation of the rapid growth. According to STR Global, Manila accounts for most of the hotel new additions, of which half are casino resorts in the Manila Bay and Pasay areas. It is postulated that these integrated-casino resorts will attract a different group of visitors to the Philippines, thus altering the tourism trends. The government is also committed to developing the infrastructure of the country, in its efforts to boost tourist arrivals. The expansion plans of the NAIA terminals in the pipeline are expected to increase the passenger handling capacity considerably.

Mr. Ramon Jimenez Jr, DOT Secretary, who will be gracing the event as keynote speaker, said: “In recent years, the Philippine tourism sector has been dramatically growing with the industry valued at PHP 982.4 billion in 2014. With the increasing number of tourists travelling to and around the Philippines, there is a greater call to encourage and foster competitiveness not only at the local level, but more importantly, in the Asia Pacific region and the rest of the world. The Hospitality Investment Conference Philippines 2016 will be a crucial platform in facilitating the continued development of the sector by bringing about meaningful exchanges and discussions amongst industry leaders in the country.”  

Mr. Chua Wee Phong, Chairman of Sphere Conferences, said: “We are deeply honoured by the support of the DOT to be part of inaugural HICP 2016. With content that is relevant to the hospitality investment landscape in the Philippines, this two-day event will enable dialogues amongst hotel owners, operators, managers, developers, investors, bankers, architects, suppliers, accountants and more. HICP will be the networking and business matching platform to further facilitate hospitality investment in the Philippines.”

For more information about HICP 2016, please visit www.hicp.sphereconferences.com.