Business groups from Iloilo City are flying to Australia on Monday, Nov. 17, for a business mission.
In an interview, Iloilo MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) Alliance chairperson Natalie Lim said they will be going to Perth and Melbourne to invite Australians and Filipino communities to visit Iloilo.
“We have already commitments from some of them to visit during the Dinagyang,” she said.
Lim noted that Australians belong in the top five in terms of tourist arrivals here in 2024 and during the first half of 2025.
She believed it would be worthwhile for the mission to visit Australia, and present the Iloilo Convention Center, Dinagyang and Paraw Regatta Festivals, and treat them to Ilonggo cuisine.
“We will have networking and B2B (business-to-business) in both cities and, of course, meet the Ilonggo community,” Lim added.
They will also meet with an organization of schools, which the mission intends to invite for a possible exchange.
Before flying back to the Philippines on Nov. 24, they will also visit the City of Bendigo, the first UNESCO City of Gastronomy in Australia.
The mission consists of representatives from the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Iloilo, the Iloilo Festivals Foundation, and UNESCO City of Gastronomy.
Lim said they have been receiving invitations since Iloilo City was conferred the City of Gastronomy title.
She said that with the exposure trips abroad, they know that Iloilo City exists.
It also gave them the opportunity to tell stories and share Ilonggo food, catch their interests and visit Iloilo.PNA
