Low airfares in PH seen as tourism come-on
PHILIPPINE AIRLINES (PAL).(CDN PHOTO/ TONEE DESPOJO)
With the Philippines offering one of the lowest airfares in the world, tourism stakeholders should take advantage of this and be more aggressive in promoting the country.
Edilberto Mendoza, president of the Cebu Association of Tour Operators (Cato), said airfare rates in the Philippines are relatively lower compared to other countries especially when booked from outside of the country.
“The Philippines is already a great destination by itself. We have a lot to offer. We just need to be more aggressive with our promotions like what our Asian counterparts are doing,” he told Cebu Daily News.
A survey conducted by kiwi.com, an online travel agency that uses algorithms to combine flight itineraries in the vast and fragmented commercial aviation sector to uncover
big savings for its clients, showed that it is relatively cheap to fly in the Philippines.
According to the agency’s 2016 Aviation Price Index, which was cited in a Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Philippines ranked 9th out of 75 countries that offered “the best value flights.”
India topped the list of value flights while United Arab Emirates (UAE) emerged as the most expensive.
According to the Inquirer report, the survey studied over one million international and domestic journeys. Fares per 100 kilometers of travel with airline and legacy carrier trips were taken into account to come up with an “average” figure, which resulted to the ranking.
The Philippines made it to the roster of top 10 countries offering value flights with an average of $7.76 per 100 km of travel.
Legacy carrier Philippine Airlines and two budget carriers, Cebu Pacific Air and Air Asia Philippines, are the country’s three carriers.
Based on its survey, kiwi.com came up with $5.23 per 100 km as its average low-cost airline fare for domestic routes and $8.26 for legacy carriers. For international flights, it was $3.93 for low cost airlines and $13.61 for legacy airlines per 100 km.
With an average flight cost $3.25 per 100 km of travel, India emerged as the country with the most “value” while UAE, which was calculated to offer $105.71 per 100 km of travel, came out as the most expensive.
Since 2012, the Department of Tourism (DOT) has been using the slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” to promote destinations in the country, but Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Teo recently decided to use something more in tune with the Duterte administration’s thrust for “change” starting next year.
Aside from becoming more aggressive in promotions, Mendoza said the Philippine government should also look into the improvement of tourism infrastructure.
“Widening of roads, decongesting traffic by looking for alternative routes, proper waste management and segregation to control floods during the rainy season (should be the priority),” he said.
Mendoza added there should also be more tourism-related seminars in local government units to increase public awareness on the industry.
He also cited the need to address safety and security issues in the country.
DOT Central Visayas officer in charge Judy Gabato, for her part, said the DOT welcomed the survey, noting that it would be an opportunity to market the country as a destination for all.
“This will really help a lot. Not only those who can afford can come here, but even those who are on a budget because of our relatively cheap airfare rates,” she told CDN in a phone interview.
Gabato stressed the need for closer partnership between the government and private sectors to achieve the tourism industry’s short-term to long-term goals.
“We also have to consider accommodations as well as destinations, among others, and make sure these are maintained, regardless if they are maintained by the LGU or a private entity,” she said.
The Philippines welcomed 5.36 million foreign and domestic tourists in 2015, most of whom came to Central Visayas, which logged 4.5 million arrivals. More than half of the number, or 3.3 million, headed for Cebu.
For this year, DOT targets 6 million tourist arrivals and 12 million by the end of 2022.
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