DAVAO is now more connected within domestic destinations as Cebu Pacific Air (CEB) launched on Thursday, July 27, at the Marco Polo Hotel Davao two more flights between Davao and the cities of Dumaguete and Tacloban harnessing over 10 million-strong combined market.
The airline, starting last Wednesday, July 26, is now flying three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) between Davao and Dumaguete and four times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday) from Davao to Tacloban and vice versa starting Thursday, July 27.
Department of Tourism assistant secretary Eden Josephine Davaid, in a statement, said with over eight million tourist arrivals in Mindanao, and Western and Central Visayas key areas (Dumaguete and Tacloban) one million combined tourist arrivals, the new connections will serve over 10 million tourists, both domestic and foreign.
“Plus we add Cebu cities and provinces 700,000 tourists and Masbate’s 250,000-strong tourist arrivals, endless opportunities await with this newly-launched route,” David said.
CEB corporate communications director Charo Lagamon said with the new routes, Davao’s position as one of the airline’s hubs in Mindanao is strengthened.
Representing Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Councilor Danilo Dayanghirang said these direct flights answer the market’s growing need for inter-island connectivity. The routes, he said, is reflective of the competitiveness and reliability of CEB.
“It will not only increase tourists and trade among three cities, it will make the residents closer with each other,” Dayanghirang said quoting Duterte-Carpio.
Davao City Tourism Operations Officer head Generose Tecson said the launching of new routes are a welcome development for all three cities.
“It opens more avenues for business and tourism arrivals, for Davao most especially. Being the gateway in Southern Mindanao, everyone going around has to touch base with our city first,” Tecson said.
Dumaguete City Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo, for his part said, the city tourism offices of the cities will work closely to promote tourism in each city, thus, inviting more tourists.
“To cater the growing number of tourists, we will continue to encourage investors to put up hotels, convention centers to accommodate the people,” Remollo said adding Dumaguete has a bed capacity of over 5,000 rooms.
He added that with the air link between Davao and Dumaguete, connectivity between Mindanao and Siquijor will be enhanced.
The flights will be carried by the Cebgo fleet of ATR aircraft.
Aside from the direct Davao flights, CEB also launched flights between Cebu and Masbate, Zamboanga and Cotabato, and Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga.
Dayanghirang, however, asked the airline to push more routes to and from Davao. One of the routes pushed is the Davao-Bohol air link.
“We hope to launch more routes to and from Davao City,” Lagamon said.
Go Hotels, a sister company of CEB also operates in Dumaguete, Tacloban.
Davao City as Mindanao hub
Lagamon reported that for 21 years, CEB have a seamless network (direct and connecting flights) linking Davao to six hubs, 37 domestic destinations and 26 international routes.
“We are launching 894 flights per week to and from Mindanao,” she said.
This year, Lagamon said, CEB targets to serve 20 million passengers. For the first quarter of this year, a total of 4.8 million passengers were already served by the airline amounting to P6.8 billion revenue, 55 percent of the total revenue are from domestic market share.