Cebu Pacific opens direct flights from Cebu to Bangkok and Macau

Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) has opened two direct flights from Cebu to Bangkok in Thailand and Mactan over the weekend, strengthening Cebu’s position as an international gateway.

Romulo Orense, CEB corporate communications manager, said the new routes will make it easier for tourists to reach the two destinations.

The Cebu-Macau flight will fly twice a week on Tuesday and Saturday, while Macau-Cebu flight is every Wednesday and Sunday.

The Cebu-Bangkok route and vice versa will fly thrice a week every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Orense said the new flights will also increase the number of tourists coming to Cebu especially Bangkok, which is a destination for European tourists.

The Macau route will also serve the overseas Filipino workers’ market, said Orense.

Orense said around 130 passengers flew to Bangkok last Saturday, while more than 100 passengers flew to Macau last Sunday during the inaugural flights.

Jenny Franco, president of National Association of Independent Travel Agencies, Cebu Chapter (Naitas-Cebu), considered the Bangkok and Macau routes as positive development in the travel industry.

”Travelers from Visayas and Mindanao have been clamoring for those direct flights. It is also an opportunity for us to promote Central Visayas in Thailand,” Franco said.

”But we are targeting not only Thai tourists but mainly the expatriates living in Thailand and tourists coming to Thailand. We want them to extend their holidays in Cebu,” she added.

The Department of Tourism welcomed the new routes as “good news that will benefit the tourism industry.”

”This is a very helpful intervention. The more direct flights, the better to increase accessibility and convenience of tourists,” said Phineas Alburo, DOT undersecretary for Visayas and Mindanao.

Alburo said airlines, such as Cebu Pacific, also serves as an effective promoter of tourist destination in the country.

”Because of this, we are more than confident that we will reach the three million tourist target this year,” Alburo said.

Orense said they will soon be launching direct flights from Davao to Hong Kong and Singapore and vice versa.

”The market in Davao is already developed. It is already very strong with a healthy pool of tourists and business travelers in Davao. We are the potential of these routes,” said.

Orense also said another local route --Davao to Iloilo will also be opened soon.

Last week, CEB also launched its new Avion Regional Transport (ATR), a 72-passenger aircraft from Toulouse, France, which will fly from Cebu to Caticlan in Aklan province daily.

The new flight will support the increasing number of tourists going to Boracay.(PNA)