Saturday, November 17, 2007 E. Visayas official sees tourism, trade boom with direct flights
EASTERN Visayas provinces are optimistic of a boom in trade and tourism activities after a local airline company introduced its direct flights from Cebu to Tacloban, Leyte.
Air Philippines, the sister airline company of the Lucio Tan-led Philippine Airlines, is intensifying its bid to make Cebu a major hub of its operating network by flying four times weekly—Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays—the Cebu-Tacloban route.
“We hope to contribute to the booming tourism activities between Cebu and the rest of Eastern Visayas with the start of our direct flights. This is a business proposition we have been wanting (to do) for a long time,” said Air Philippines senior vice president for sales and marketing Ruben Tecson.
Tecson said the company’s decision to open the direct flight was due to the clamor of businessmen in the Visayas, especially in Cebu, for “convenient” access to and from Tacloban.
Inaugural
In its inaugural flight yesterday, Tecson reported that 80 percent of the passenger load consisted of paying passengers while the rest were Air Philippine officials and guests.
Passengers boarded a 118-seater aircraft.
Leyte Vice Gov. Maria Mimietta Bagulaya lauded the airline’s efforts to offer flights to Tacloban City, saying this will benefit the entire Eastern Visayas region in terms of tourism and trade.
Eastern Visayas is composed of provinces of Biliran, Leyte, Southern Leyte, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar and Samar.
“Certainly, tourism and trade here will grow. Travel groups like businessmen can now come here faster and easier for conventions and conferences,” Bagulaya said in an interview at the Ramon C. Romualdez Airport in Tacloban City.
Eco-tourism
“In tourism, tourists can now have more time to explore the islands as an eco-tourism destination,” she added.
According to Bagulaya, PAL used to operate a Cebu-Tacloban direct flight in the past but the airline decided to cease flight operations between these cities to cater to other destinations.
At that same time, she said the fast craft market has started to flourish.
She said while there used to be direct sea travel routes to Tacloban, the strong water current along the San Juanico Strait have proven to be “risky” for passengers.
Travel time
“With a direct flight to and from Tacloban via Cebu, it now makes it easier to travel,” Bagulaya said.
She said the direct flight reduces travel time between the two cities to only 25 minutes via Air Philippines, instead of the usual four hours by land and sea trips.
Air Philippines’ fare rates are between P1,200 and P1,700. (MMM)
