MCIA Terminal 2 departure area. | CDN Digital photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The travel and hospitality industries in Cebu are looking at a rosy future two years after they suffered under the economic pinch of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest development signaling their recovery is the resumption of more international flights that will connect Cebu to overseas destinations.
Taiwanese international airline Eva Air is expected to resume its weekly direct flight from Cebu to Taipei, and vice-versa this July, the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) announced.
Aside from Taiwan-bound flights, the country’s second-busiest airport is also expected to re-welcome international flights connecting Cebu to Japan and South Korea next month.
Japan and South Korea have recently reopened their borders to fully vaccinated tourists, two years after they went into lockdowns due to the raging pandemic.
Tourism stakeholders in Cebu have posted a bullish outlook for their recovery this 2022 as the Philippines has also welcomed back fully vaccinated foreign travelers last February.
Based on data from Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), the state body co-operating and co-managing the Mactan airport, they had accommodated roughly 1 million passengers, both for domestic and international destinations, from January to April this year.
RELATED STORIES
Stakeholders in Cebu brace for more Chinese, Japanese tourists
HRRAC optimistic of tourism bounce back by Q1 of 2023
/dbs