DOT, Royal Air PH Work Closely for Macau-Cebu Flight
Flights between Macau and Subic may soon be possible as the Department of Tourism (DOT) is now working closely with Royal Air Philippines, a commercial airline which offers charter services or exclusive air service.
Royal Air PH aims to schedule daily flights from Macau, which has an estimated number of 92,000 tourists a day, to Subic using its 97-seater aircraft.
If successful, the undertaking would produce 35,308 seats per year from China. This should increase tourist arrivals in the country, which were at 732,506 as of January 2018.
According to DOT Undersecretary for Tourism Development and Spokesperson Benito Bengzon Jr., the Tourism department and Royal Air PH aim to utilize underused international gateways in the Philippines. “Royal Air is among our airline partners, which the DOT is working with 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 Bengzon.
The DOT Spokesperson added that this route will open new and healthy business relationships with Chinese nationals. “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. 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.”
Image courtesy of Department of Tourism
In a report from Macau News Agency, the Macau Airport Authority said that they have yet to confirm any information on the number of flights as the deal is still ‘in progress’.
As of this writing, Royal Air PH currently gives its domestic and international non-scheduled airline and cargo services to Manila, Batanes, Cauayan, Clark, Cebu, Laoag, Kalibo, Maconacon, San Vicente (Palawan) and Macau.
Source: Department of Tourism Press Release
