The new Philippine president has put infrastructure projects back into the spotlight, reigniting hope that the potential of Clark as a gateway and travel destination could finally be unlocked

A fresh presidential directive could provide the impetus for the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga, a former US military airbase, to get serious about developing its tourist infrastructure and emerge out of the shadows of neighbouring Manila.

Newly-elected Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte recently stressed the importance of completing projects such as the fast rail linking Clark Freeport Zone and metro Manila, which will help to decongest the overcrowded Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and attract more airlines to Clark International Airport (CRK).

The rail link plan had failed to materialise under the previous administration, leaving the potential gateway airport in Clark underutilised and several international carriers such as AirAsia, Emirates and Etihad Airways to cease flying there several years ago due to low passenger volume.

The urgent need to develop CRK as an alternative airport was again underscored last month when a pothole on NAIA’s runway led to the massive diversion of flights to Clark.

Now with hopes of the inter-city rail project on the rise, Philippine Airlines has announced it will move some of its domestic flights to CRK to help decongest Manila’s NAIA.

Cebu Pacific is currently the only domestic carrier that operates in Clark although foreign carriers include Emirates, Asiana, Cathay Pacific, Dragonair and Tigerair.

Having moved its hub to NAIA’s terminal 4, AirAsia had repeatedly said it would return to Clark if the rail or road link to Makati was built. It recently resumed flying from Kuala Lumpur to Clark.

Emirates, which pulled out from Clark in 2014, returned to CRK in March this year with daily Dubai-Clark-Cebu services. The circular service saw “strong load factor”, with 150 to 200 passengers (of the 400-seat capacity) flying from Clark, said Emigdio Tanjuatco III, president and CEO of Clark International Airport Corporation.

The airport chief wants to show international airlines that CRK “is willing to take them back” by offering incentives such as reduced taxi and landing charges.

Explaining the strategy to attract more airlines, he added: “Some of our rates are 30 per cent lower than NAIA. We will help airlines in marketing their flights.”

Works on a new terminal to increase passenger capacity has begun this year, in addition to recent upgrades that increased the number of check-in counters from six to 32, immigration counters from four to 16 and VIP lounges to three, with plans to bring in more duty free concessionaires.

Favouring a dual airport strategy, Tanjuatco believes CRK can be positioned as a gateway to the Philippines through northern and southern Luzon, while NAIA serves visitors to metro Manila (National Capital Region) and southern Luzon.

Due to the size of the northern and southern Luzon catchment area, 10 million passengers fly out of the region annually but only a fraction of it was captured by Clark.

“It’s a ripe market,” said Tanjuatco, commenting on the prospects for CRK and tourism in the area.

Adding to Clark’s allure is its booming supply of new hotels, investment incentives and lower cost of doing business, luring more businesses and investors pushed away by the lack of space in heavily congested metro Manila.

Foreign investors choose Clark for its safety and security; proximity to metro Manila; green and unpolluted environs; English-speaking skilled workers; and resilience against natural disasters, protected by its 158m location above sea level among mountain ranges, explained Irineo Alvaro, immediate past president and chair of BB International Leisure and Resort Development, and who, at press time, is touted to become chief of Clark Development Corporation.

International-branded hotels that have opened in the area include the 268-key Hilton Clark Sun Valley Resort; newly minted 111-room Midori Clark Hotel and Casino, which is in the first phase of a 40 billion pesos (US$850 million) integrated resort development; and the 164-key Park Inn By Radisson. The 260-key Marriott at Clark is set to open next year.

More room keys are driving arrivals into Clark, said Malu Parungao, junior branch supervisor of Filipino Travel Center in Angeles City, Pampanga. In particular, tourists from Europe and the Middle East are increasing in numbers since Emirates started flying to Clark again.

Parungao said tourists are mainly attracted to Clark’s four golf courses, often combining it with the sun and sea in Subic just 45 minutes away.

While some remain doubtful of Clark’s appeal as a leisure travel destination, Tanjuatco insists there is much to see outside its perimeter, including the Mount Pinatubo crater and the Hot Air Balloon Festival every February.

Some hotels do not even have the capacity to cope with the influx of tourists during the Hot Air Balloon Festival, pointed out Othie Maninang, inbound tours supervisor at Mango Tours.

She also suggested ramping up the standards of existing attractions, such as Nayong Pilipino and Air Force City Park, and promoting go-karting and ultralight aircraft flights, which is unique to the area.

Beyond leisure, business tourism could also flourish as the destination spruces up its MICE hardware.

“Clark has a lot of MICE potential,” remarked Angel Ramos Bognot, president and managing director, Afro Asian Travel and Tours, who has chosen Clark as the base for the annual B2B Travel Business Exchange introduced last year.

This article was first published in TTG Asia, August 5, 2016 issue, on page 4. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Enhanced rail and road networks connecting to other parts of China have given rise to new tourist circuits around Guilin and raised the appeal of travel in the region

Riding on the region’s expanded high-speed rail network, the Guilin Tourism Administration is keen to draw repeated and new FIT traffic by combining Guilin with attractions in neighbouring Sanjiang, Danzhou, Longsheng, Longji and Liuzhou.

According to Guilin Tourism Administration, deputy secretary general, Zhao Gui Xing, new road networks such as the Liuzhou-Sanjiang Expressway have also boosted connectivity in the destination.

He said: “Traditionally, it took four to five days to tour around these towns with lots of time spent on the road. (Now), travel convenience has improved with an enhanced two-pronged rail and road system. Hopefully this will draw more tourist traffic from the Pearl River Delta, Hong Kong and Taiwan in the future.”

Since the launch of the inaugural Guiyang-Guangzhou high-speed rail in 2014 to link up China’s mountainous south-west with Guangdong, Guilin’s network has flourished with more new routes to cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Guiyang, Changsha, Wuhan and Zhuhai.

Sheraton Guilin Hotel’s director of sales & marketing, Portia Zhou, sees the greatest benefits from the Guangzhou-Guilin service, which boasts the highest frequency and shaves travel time on this route from 12 hours to two hours 40 minutes.

Said Zhou: “With the train network and construction of new highways, Guilin tourism and hotel markets have won new opportunities from the neighbouring countryside.

She added: “Longsheng and Sanjiang are now packaged together as new sightseeing points, strengthening Guilin’s appeal for the leisure market. The FIT segment grew 50 per cent from the previous year.”

Sanjiang – a remote town 150km from Guilin – can now look forward to more international visitor traffic with the D2975 (Liuzhou-Sanjiang) train service launched in May 2016. Plying between Sanjiang South Station and Guangzhou South via Guilin, the journey time from Guilin to Sanjiang now takes only 30 minutes, down from the previous three hours 45 minutes.

Commenting on the change, Guangxi Tourism Development Group, vice general manager, Lu Bo, said: “Given the birth of new highways, Sanjiang is now at the crossroads between Hunan, Guizhou, Guiyang and Guilin. Moreover, the town is home to the Dong people, who boasts  the biggest presence among Guangxi’s ethnic minority groups.

“Our company is keen to push a Greater Guilin Tourism Area concept, (integrating) small towns nearby like Sanjiang and Danzhou to create a brand emphasising culture, wellness and ecotourism.”

This explains why the group has actively pumped investment into Sanjiang’s tourism infrastructure, such as revamping the Chenyang Eight Villages (see page 27), constructing a large-scale resort centre at Sanjiang Bay, and upgrading the Sanjiang Bird Nest. The group welcomed its first fam tour from Taiwan in March 2016.

Shangri-La Guilin’s general manager, Leslie Wang, has noted an increase in leisure tourists since the expanded railway network places Guilin at the crossroads on the Guiyang-Guangzhou route.

“Our hotel received better results from the expanded railway network, especially in Hunan. It almost doubled our (guest numbers) from 2014,” he said.

“We observed a growth in Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Dongguan as well. The high-speed railway definitely accelerates Guilin towards the urban economy with this integration.”

This article was first published in TTG Asia, August 5, 2016 issue, on page 24. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.