Direct flights from South Korea arriving in Bacolod next month
BACOLOD City, Philippines – At least 16 direct flights from Incheon, South Korea will start arriving at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City, Negros Occidental on Dec. 20.
The Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights will bring in an expected weekly average of 340 Korean golfers to Bacolod City, said Bacolod Rep. Evelio Leonardia, who is helping facilitate the tours.
The flights will arrive Thursdays and Sundays every week.
“This is our rehearsal for the time when we will have regular international flights. To bring in a regular flow of tourists to our city, we need to put on our best,” he said.
Since its winter in South Korea from December to February, Koreans take advantage of the warm weather in the Philippines by joining these tours, Leonardia added.
Former city administrator John Orola, now congressional consultant for tourism, said the flights will mean about 2,700 tourists and if they spend an estimated $500 each, this could bring an estimated income of P60 million for Bacolod.
Leonardia met Orola with Ryan Lee and Kim Hong Ki, the local Korean organizers of the golf tours. The tours are organized and marketed by Mode Tours, the biggest travel company in Korea.
Aside from golf, Leonardia has asked Orola to prepare cultural activities that may be offered to the Koreans so they can have a better appreciation of Bacolod. Lee said they are also looking for other tourism attractions in Bacolod and Negros Occidental that they can promote in Korea.
