TRAFFIC from China to the Philippines is on the path of recovery, having grown 40 per cent year-on-year as of mid-April, according to Kelly Jiao, marketing manager from Philippine Tourism Office, Shanghai.
She said: “There is more confidence in the market now…We have registered strong recovery since last October, and it has been continuously growing.”
Jiao said the rebound was complemented with improved air links. Starting end-April, Spring Airlines will launch daily flights from Shanghai to Manila, adding to services by Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Zest Air on this route.
Direct charter flights from Shanghai and Hangzhou to Boracay, which currently stand at 16 per week, will increase to 18 by June, she added.
Furthermore, the recent surge in the number of five-star hotels like Fairmont, Raffles and the Solaire Resort and Casino with 500 rooms and a 18,500m2 gaming space in Manila will ramp up the city’s appeal as a “modern convention venue” for MICE groups, pointed out Baby Landan, senior project officer, MICE and business development unit, the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT).
The DoT will also look at growing the number of DoT-accredited hotels in Manila and Boracay from the current 28 and 27 respectively, Landan added.
