Charter operators target more Chinese tourists

MANILA, Philippines - More airlines and charter operators have signified their interest to fly Chinese visitors to the Philippines, the Department of Tourism (DOT) said yesterday.

Erwin Balane, head of the DOT route development team, told The STAR some airlines and charter operators from China were planning to mount more flights to the Philippines, while some were looking at entering market.

“Because there is a really big volume of leisure travelers from China, it’s easier to invite airlines to fly here,” he said over the phone.

According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), China was the top source of the global tourism market in 2015. It was also the world’s top tourism spender last year, recording a total of $292 billion in tourism receipts, up 25 percent from 2014.

Chinese arrivals to the Philippines, meanwhile, reached 490,841 in 2015, 24.28 percent higher than the 394,951 arrivals reported a year earlier.

From January to July 2016, a total of 422,801 Chinese tourists went to the Philippines.

 The DOT expects a new set of Chinese tourists from Xiamen who will be traveling to Davao via Xiamen Airlines this Chinese New Year.

 The airline earlier conducted two trial flights last Sept. 20 and Oct. 7 to test the reception of the market in Xiamen.

 Balane said he considered it a good sign that the travelers did not cancel their trip despite the recent bombing incident in Davao.

“So far the market is okay, so maybe they are already preparing for another run in preparation for the Chinese New Year,” he said, adding that charter operators are looking forward to this date as a bulk of Chinese tourists go out for the New Year celebrations.

The tourism official also disclosed that China Eastern Airlines would be flying once again to Laoag International Airport after it cancelled its operations due to the UN tribunal ruling on the West Philippine Sea.

“(It withdrew) in August because of the issue on the ruling of the international tribunal on the WPS. But it’s now coming back to Laoag on Nov. 1,” he said.