Chinese airline to launch Cebu-Guangzhou flight

CEBU, Philippines — China Southern Airlines is set to launch a direct flight between Cebu and Guangzhou by January 2019.

Department of Tourism (DOT-7) regional director Shalimar Tamamo announced yesterday that the airline sees a good potential for inbound and outbound passenger traffic in this particular route.

In an interview, Tamano said while there is a growing number of Chinese coming to Cebu, it is also important for these airlines, like China Southern to attract Filipinos or Cebuanos to visit China to sustain two-way traffic.

  Tourism capitalist Jay Aldeguer said that the mainland Chinese is the fastest growing market in the travel industry and the Philippines has yet to exploit its potential.

Aldeguer said this is the time for the Philippines, particularly Cebu, to make constant and loud promotions in the Chinese market, as the Philippines is yet on the Chinese travelers' travel "bucket-list."

"I'm sure the renewed relationship between countries will have positive effects on tourism in the Philippines," said Aldeguer.

Aldeguer, who is the president and chief executive officer of Islands Group, joins other tourism stakeholders in Cebu in anticipating the positive turn out of Chinese arrivals.

Recently, the Malaysia-based low-cost airline AirAsia officially launched its Cebu to Shenzhen daily flight last December 9.

Daily flights from Cebu to Shanghai were launched in July this year and a twice a week flights from Cebu to Hangzhou a month after.

Last September this year, Philippine Airlines (PAL) doubled its Cebu-Beijing operations, from serving twice a week.

China Eastern also launched its Cebu-Chengdu and Cebu-Nanjing flights on July 2 and July 25, respectively. Both routes are operated thrice weekly.

Cebu Pacific has also started its twice weekly, chartered flights to Beijing on July 16.

PAL opened its Nanjing service on July 9 while its subsidiary PAL Express mounted charter flights to Hangzhou on July 6.