NAIA records highest international passenger volume

April sees 3.6 million passengers, the most since pandemic

MANILA, Philippines — The country posted last April its biggest number of international and domestic air travelers since the 2020 pandemic lockdown, with the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) alone reporting 1,677,779 international passengers and 9,089 international flights.

In a statement, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), which manages the NAIA, said the figures were more than double the 663,824 international passengers and 4,494 international flights handled by the country’s premier airport in the same month last year.

“Summer is indeed a popular time for vacation and international travel, not only for Filipinos taking advantage of airlines’ promotional fares or using travel funds for flights they couldn’t use due to the pandemic, but also for our international visitors wanting to see the Philippines,” MIAA officer-in-charge Bryan Co said.

“After more than two years of closed borders, we expect the momentum of recovery to continue for tourism and the aviation industry,” Co added, noting that NAIA welcomed 1,178,461 passengers overall in the first 10 days of April as travelers took advantage of the long Holy Week break.

Combined with figures for domestic flights, NAIA registered a total of 3,666,503 passengers and 22,816 flights in April this year.

This represents a 50 percent rise from the 2,447,795 passengers in April 2022 and 86 percent of the 4,261,352 passengers in April 2019, the last full year before the pandemic.

Flight movement last month also increased by 28 percent from the 17,774 flights in the same month last year. The figure is equivalent to 98 percent of the 23,327 flights in April 2019.

MIAA also recorded an average of 75.20 percent flight on-time performance (OTP) last April, an improvement from the OTP rating of 71.24 percent in the same month last year.

Earlier, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported that 1,715,757 foreign tourists arrived in the Philippines from January to April 22 this year, with the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

Air travel is seen to further increase despite the reported uptick in COVID-19 positivity rate, especially in Metro Manila.

Of the foreign travelers who arrived during the period, more than 320,000 came from the United States, the DOT said.

Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco revealed the data during the recent launch of the agency’s “Bisita Be My Guest” or BBM-G program, a referral and incentive program, at the Philippine Travel Fair in Los Angeles, California.

The program aims to bring in more foreigners by tapping Filipinos, especially those based abroad, who have foreign spouses or friends.

Those who bring in foreign visitors can win condominium units, airplane tickets and holiday packages in select destinations.

The DOT, along with the Department of Migrant Workers and the Tourism Promotions Board, brought the BBM-G program to the US “to give opportunities to fellow Filipinos to become ambassadors for the Philippines,” Frasco said.

Meanwhile, Frasco also said they hope Filipino-American beauty queen R’Bonney Gabriel, Miss Universe 2022, will boost the country’s tourism campaign by visiting the country’s popular tourist destinations.

Frasco met with Gabriel and Khun Anne Jakrajutatip, owner of the Miss Universe franchise, during a dinner hosted by Tatler Philippines editor-in-chief Anton San Diego at the Manila House Private Club in Taguig last Thursday, the agency said in a statement last Thursday.

“Sec. Frasco also discussed with (Gabriel) and (Jakrajutatip) a tourism initiative for (Gabriel) to visit the different islands of the Philippines to encourage tourists to visit the country,” the DOT wrote.

She also thanked Gabriel, whose father hails from Malate, Manila, for “always carrying with you the heart of being a Filipina, making the country proud.”

Aside from Gabriel and Jakrajutatip, Frasco also met with celebrities such as cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo and husband Hayden Kho, events host Tim Yap and Miss Universe 1973 and Cultural Center of the Philippines chair Margie Moran-Floirendo.

Gabriel is in the country to witness the crowning of the Philippines’ representative to the Miss Universe 2023 beauty pageant.

The MUFG Bank Ltd. of Japan earlier said tourism receipts in the Philippines could double this year, as the sector benefits from the return of Chinese tourists.

Jeff Ng, senior currency analyst at MUFG, said in its ASEAN tourism outlook titled “The Return of Chinese Tourists in 2023,” that travel receipts in the Philippines could hit anywhere from $6 billion to $8 billion this year.

The country’s gross travel receipts hit $1.26 billion in the third quarter of last year, 52 percent of the third quarter 2019 levels.

“Given current trends, we anticipate broader upsides in 2023. Gross travel receipts may hit $6 billion to $8 billion in 2023, higher than an expected $4 billion in 2022 and catching up to $9.8 billion in 2019,” Ng said.