Cebu Air Inc., the operator of budget carrier Cebu Pacific, said it expects more Chinese tourists to come to the Philippines, after Manila strengthened its economic ties with Beijing.
“Strong economic ties between the Philippines and China would only serve to stimulate business and leisure opportunities for the benefit of the communities we fly to,” Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs JR Mantaring said.
“As China remains one of our most popular destination countries, CEB is committed to enabling faster air transportation and easier access to and from this market,” he said.
Cebu Pacific currently operates 17 weekly flights to and from four key destinations in China, including Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Xiamen.
“We are optimistic that the development of mutually constructive ties between the two countries may not only boost connectivity, but enable more convenient air services for these passengers,” Mantaring said.
The Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation said Manila’s strong economic ties with China would likely stimulate large service growth between the two countries.
“Yet for existing markets, there is some concern that the Philippines presents new competition,” Capa said.
Data showed of 12 major Northeast and Southeast Asian markets, the Philippines received one of the lowest number of mainland Chinese tourists in 2015 with 491,000.
Smaller countries such as Laos and Cambodia received more Chinese visitors with 511,000 and 695,000 respectively. Myanmar received 148,000 Chinese visitors in 2015.
Chinese visitors to the Philippines grew 15 percent between 2013 and 2015. A higher growth rate could be expected, given the low base, but political tension reduced demand and would have been a factor in state-owned airlines flying to the Philippines, or Filipino airlines seeking slots in China.
“The level of growth will continue to depend on political relations, and how the Philippines can orient itself towards Chinese visitors,” it said.
