Regular Cebu-Guangzhou charter flights set

CEBU, Philippines -  Strained diplomatic ties between China and the Philippines may be slowly thawing with the re-introduction of regular charter flights established between the cities of Cebu and Guangzhou within this month.

Starting January 24, 2013, Air Philippines proudly launches its Cebu-Guangzhou flights every Thursday and Sunday; leaving the Mactan airport at 9 pm and arriving at the Chinese city at 11:30 pm. From Guangzhou, the plane departs 12:05 am and lands in Cebu at 2:35 am.

These charter flights will be set at a year-round basis in anticipation of the rising potentials of the Chinese market which seek novel and exciting destinations within the Asian continent.

In addition, Philippine Air Lines has also finalized its daily charter flights between Cebu and Hong Kong from February 10-16, 2013 in commemoration of the Chinese New Year festivities to be feted at selected hotels in the city. 

Passengers aboard the Hong Kong flight originally come from mainland China which utilise Hong Kong as an alternative connecting point to Cebu.

Cathay Pacific will also block off a certain number of seats which have been specially reserved for the Chinese visitors.

These unexpectedly upbeat developments will surely give cheer to the tourism stakeholders in the region since this will serve as a fitting carry-over of tourism arrivals from the Sinulog to the Chinese New Year.

Better yet, Cebu will serve as a jump-off point to other cities and provinces such as Manila, Bohol, Davao, and Boracay in order to share the tourism pie with other visitor hotbeds in the country.

To recall, charter flights between Cebu and Guangzhou were halted for ten months last year due to heated claims of ownership of China and the Philippines over the Scarborough Shoal in the Pacific Ocean.  

Though the ban on flights was lifted last October 2012, negotiations for flight resumption as well as market response has been relatively modest due to the hangover of emotions over the controversial marine property.

“We are doubling our efforts in promoting selected Philippine destinations to the Chinese market. Though feedback was not as positive as before, we feel that we have more than done our part in regaining the trust and confidence of the Chinese,” related Alan Dino, senior vice president of Dong Fang Philippines Leisure Corp.

He acknowledged the role of the Department of Tourism in providing government support in backing up Dong Fang so as to jumpstart the DOT’s targeted number of Chinese arrivals for the year.

This serves as a wake-up call for the DOT, he reiterated, as we embark on a bold move to introduce the tourism attractions and accommodations to the Chinese, our fastest-growing and the world’s most lucrative market.

Likewise, Dong Fang salutes the DOT’s “It’s more fun…” campaign as lively in its approach to several facets in everyday living in the archipelago and unique humorous twists in concept.

Dong Fang also deems it wise to take on a more proactive stance and go on the offensive rather than wait for market feedback. In doing so, the company hopes to create momentum and support from the leading tourism stakeholders for more coordinated efforts and synergy from both the public and the private sectors.

Yet another encouraging development was the fact that the Philippines was named as “Most Romantic Destination” by the Shanghai Morning Post based on a consumer survey as indicated on a front page story of a recent Philippine Star issue.

This may be traced to idyllic Boracay which has long attracted visitors from all over the globe who couldn’t simply get enough of the unique sand quality and the breezy setting; thus garnering several acclaims as the world’s best beach over the years.     

The Philippines was also named “Best Tourist Destination” last January 9, 2013 by the Oriental Morning Post during its annual World Travel-Special Trip Awards.

 Such awards were deemed most timely to complement global accolades and praise due the Philippines for its glowing socio-economic factors such as a strong peso, the healthiest stock market in Asia, topnotcher in economic growth in Asia, and favorable ratings for its top national government officials. 

Dong Fang is a real estate developer and a tourism and leisure company with offices both in Cebu and Guangzhou which has spearheaded efforts in luring in the Chinese market to Cebu and other Philippine destination for the past seven years.  (FREEMAN)