MCIAA: Tourist arrivals up

CEBU, Philippines - The uptrend in tourism in Cebu is indicated by its increase in both domestic and international flights at the Mactan Cebu International Airport.

MCIA General Manager Danilo Francia said passengers coming to Cebu through the airport registered 17,000 a day from 14, 000 in 2009.

Francia is confident Cebu can attain the P1.2 billion target this year.

As shown in the Authority’s Comparative Financial Highlights for calendar years 1991 to 2008, MCIAA earned a total gross operating income of P34,355 million, P46,596 million, P63,019 million, P100,035 million, P130,910 million, P194,365 million, P309,794 million, P309,157 million, P400,489 million, P465,173 million, P559,413 million, P555,297 million, P583,346 million, and P676,510 million, P737,480 and P842,607 million, P987,033 million, 1,015,050 billion and 1,098,721 billion respectively, average growth rate is 23 percent.

Francia, however, dismissed speculations that the on-going P178.60 million passenger terminal building construction was a midnight deal as its implementation was rushed to start last March 17 to beat the end of  President Arroyo’s term.

Francia said the concept was done three years ago with the feasibility study done by a Japanese consultant and which the budget was realized in 2009 to continue this year.

Francia earlier said the project will include wider space, high-technology security equipment, and various commercial establishments.

The plan to improve the domestic and international terminals here started with the proposal to construct two additional boarding bridges and four tubes.

Considering that four of the five-star airline companies — Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, SilkAir, and Asian Airlines — land at the Mactan-Cebu airport, Francia said the additional boarding bridges and four tubes will be needed to accommodate the projected influx of foreign tourists.

Once the airport’s renovation is completed, it could accommodate additional 600,000 international travelers and, at most, three million domestic arrivals, Francia said. — THE FREEMAN