Tourism and sports leaders are setting their sights on Iloilo as the next big destination for sports tourism, following the successful staging of the Sports Tourism Forum at Richmonde Hotel, Iloilo City.
Nearly 100 participants from the travel, tourism, and sports industries gathered for a full day of knowledge-sharing, featuring expert speakers who discussed best practices in event management, sponsorship, and successful case studies of sporting events nationwide.
“The synergy between the tourism and sports sectors was truly inspiring,” said Charles Lim of Sports Turismo Alliance, Inc., the longtime organizer of the Sports Tourism Forum series. Lim noted that several major event organizers have now expressed serious interest in bringing their sports events to Iloilo after seeing its growing potential.
Among those eyeing Iloilo are Princess Galura of Sunrise Events, which manages world-renowned races like IRONMAN 70.3, 5150, and CyclePH, as well as Patrick “Pato” Gregorio of DuckWorld PH, who recently revived the iconic Tour of Luzon.
The forum was co-presented by DOT Region VI, led by Regional Director Krisma Rodriguez, with support from DOT National Director Roberto Alabado III and several key industry players. Other speakers included Mary Jamelle Camba of Subic Bay Freeport, Celso “Toots” Jimenez, Jr. of the National Big Bike Convention, and Carlo Sampan of Nestlé Philippines, who announced that the national finals of this year’s MILO Marathon will be hosted in Iloilo.
The forum also drew sports enthusiasts and local government officials from across Panay and Negros Occidental. A dynamic panel discussion, moderated by Lim, featured insights from Art Boncato (Megaworld Hotels and Resorts), Rein Dayot (Iloilo City Sports Development), and Dr. Richard Gabayoyo (West Visayas State University).
Lim expressed gratitude to the forum’s many supporters, including DOT Region VI, Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr., Cebu Pacific Air, Megaworld Hotels and Resorts, Iloilo MICE Alliance, Richmonde Hotel, The Travel Club, Southwest Tours, and Bong Bong’s.
Launched in 2004 ahead of the 2005 SEA Games, the Sports Tourism Forum has since traveled across the country—from Cebu, Davao, Clark, Subic, Bacolod, Puerto Princesa, Laoag to Manila—bringing together stakeholders to fuel the growth of sports tourism in the Philippines.
With fresh momentum from this year’s forum, Iloilo is poised to emerge as one of the country’s most promising sports tourism destinations.
