THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is working on opening up underutilized international gateways in the country to give foreign tourists easier access to more tourism destinations.
This developed as the agency looks forward to the mounting of chartered flights between Macau and Subic via the Clark-based nonscheduled carrier, Royal Air Charter Service Inc.
“The DOT is working with Royal Air to bring in tourists from China. Through our Route Development Team, we are providing marketing support to air carriers to increase tourist traffic to underutilized international gateways in the Philippines, such as the Subic Bay International Airport,” said DOT Spokesman and Undersecretary for Tourism Development Benito C. Bengzon Jr. in a news statement.
Royal Air is eyeing to mount seven daily flights a week between the two destinations, using a 97-seater British Aerospace AvroRJ100. The said flight is expected to produce additional 697 international air seats, or about 35,308 seats per year, from China.
“Subic Bay has a lot to offer to leisure and business travelers with its natural, cultural and adventure attractions coupled with world-class accommodations and other tourist facilities,” added Bengzon. The free port, formerly a US naval base, hosts casinos, theme parks and white beaches.
SFS also serves as a gateway to the rest of Zambales and its popular beaches, as well as to other regions, with teeming tourist sites like Pangasinan, Tarlac and Pampanga. It is also accessible to Metro Manila, three hours away, via the national highway.
“Subic Bay is a special economic zone in the Philippines, which, by law, allows the entry of foreign nationals without the required visa for a maximum of 14 days,” said Bengzon. “This is a good opportunity for Philippine tourism as Chinese nationals do not need to queue in our consular offices in China to secure the entry visa to the Philippines.”
China is the second-largest source market for tourists for the Philippines. From January to July 2018, Chinese visitor arrivals grew by 40 percent to 764,094. (See, “China lifts tourist arrivals by 9.7percent in January-July 2018,” in the BusinessMirror, August 24, 2018.)
The DOT is targeting to attract some 7.4 million international tourists this year.
On June 21 Royal Air inaugurated its Macau to Mactan International Airport route, making available 35,308 international air seats per year from China, with daily flights seven times a week, using the same aircraft.
With a fleet of three BAe Avro RJ100, Royal Air also flies between Macau and Tuguegarao, Cagayan, as well as Macau and Laoag, Ilocos Norte.
According to its web site, the carrier was established in 2002, and flies domestic nonscheduled airline and cargo services to Manila, Batanes, Cauayan in Isabela, Clark in Pampanga, Kalibo in Aklan, Maconacon in Isabela and San Vicente
in Palawan.
It has a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board dated May 2017.