Iloilo City and the Iloilo Tourism Foundation Inc. (ITFI) signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Monday to enhance local tourism through updates to the city’s tourism development plan and the revision of its decade-old tourism code.
Maria Lea Victoria Lara, director of the Iloilo City Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) Center, shared that the agreement will focus on aligning local tourism strategies with the Philippine Tourism Plan. The update will also incorporate recent developments like the newly passed MICE Ordinance.
Mayor Jerry Treñas and Lara signed the MOA for the city, while Joseph Del Rosario and Sandra Gomez represented the ITFI. Lara pointed out that the city’s tourism code, enacted in 2013, is outdated, particularly in areas like tour circuits and culinary tourism.
The goal is to complete the updates to the development plan within this year and follow up with amendments to the tourism code. Along with the MOA signing, Treñas also issued Executive Order No. 40, which revitalizes the Iloilo City Tourism Council. The council will oversee local tourism activities, craft a strategic tourism plan, recommend development programs for tourist sites, and regulate tourism-related businesses.