ILOILO CITY – The international route of Cebu Pacific Air from Iloilo International Airport to Hong Kong resumed, with its maiden flight 5J 242 taking off 11 p.m. on Sunday.
Tourism regional director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez said Monday that the resumption reinforces the claim of Iloilo as an international gateway for tourists to explore the culture, heritage, and natural wonders of Visayas, and for the locals to reconnect with their loved ones.
“For others, it’s going to be easier to access business and trade in the region and the Visayas areas,” she said in an interview.
Cebu Pacific will have four flights weekly from Iloilo to Hong Kong every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
It will also resume its direct flight to Singapore in November.
In the afternoon of the same day, the airline company launched the maiden flight for the resumption of the Iloilo-Tacloban and vice-versa routes.
On Monday, the Iloilo to Zamboanga flight began, while three more domestic flights bound for Dumaguete, Bicol, and Bohol start in December.
“For Cebu Pacific alone, we have 14 direct flights to different destinations in the country and to Hong Kong and Singapore,” she said.
Rodriguez said they have been assisting by way of training, especially the Filipino brand of hospitality, to ensure the readiness of destinations for the influx of tourists.
The Department of Tourism is also developing tourism products, the most recent of which was the rollout of an ecotourism circuit for nature lovers.
The international flights were put on hold in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. (PNA)