Group of hotels, resorts wants return of China-Cebu flights

THE hospitality sector in Cebu is just waiting for direct flights from China to make the most of the Chinese travelers’ return, the largest source of global tourism revenue.

“Hotels are already ready for all foreign arrivals. We just hope that the direct flights, China-Cebu, will resume,” said Alfred Reyes, president of the Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association of Cebu.

“As of now, all China flights are in Manila,” he added.

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines resumed its flights to China on Dec. 23, 2022. It first restored Manila and Xiamen on Jan. 13, 2023, starting with one flight per week, operating every Friday. PAL said the Xiamen route will build up frequencies over time, in line with the easing of restrictions and applicable government authorizations.

PAL also reopened direct flights between Manila and Guangzhou (Canton) on Jan. 14, operating an initial once-weekly flight every Saturday to Guangzhou’s Baiyun International Airport.

Prior to the pandemic, the flag carrier served the mainland Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Quanzhou (Jinjiang) and Xiamen for a total of 34 weekly flights.

Budget carrier Cebu Pacific is also set to restore direct flights to Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Xiamen within the first quarter of 2023.

Additional flights going to Cebu and the return of Chinese tourists are expected to drive better economic recovery and activities for the island’s tourism sector.

In an earlier interview, Michael Kempf, general manager of Dusit Thani Mactan Cebu, said these are the scenarios that have not been realized yet under the post-pandemic business environment which the tourism stakeholders are eagerly anticipating.

“The main challenge that we face in Cebu is still the flights which are not yet that frequent from the many destinations. This is a concern for many of the hoteliers because if we have many flights that come in, you will get more guests coming to the properties. As soon as flights start to get back, we will have this demand coming in, then we will see hotel business immediately picking up, including restaurants, and sightseeing spots. It will have a chain of reaction,” said Kempf.

The Philippines welcomed 190 Chinese tourists on Jan. 24, 2023, following the reopening of China’s borders after nearly three years of pandemic restrictions that effectively cut the world off from Chinese travelers.

According to the Department of Tourism, “such a move is seen to positively impact economies as China remains one of the world’s top sources of foreign tourists with high visitor spending.”

Arrivals from China to the Philippines stood at 1.7 million next to South Korea in 2019. The Philippines at that time logged a total of 8.26 million international visitors. Last year, the country welcomed 2.65 million foreign tourists.