New service agreement to usher in more Korean tourists
GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC) is optimistic that there will be an increase of Korean flights following a new air services agreement between The Philippines and South Korea.
Aines Librodo, head of GMCAC’s airline marketing, asserted that Cebu is ready for the uptick in numbers, with Terminal 2 targeting a June 2018 opening, followed by a major domestic airport renovation in 2019.
Cebu is already in the frontline of Korean tourist arrivals, steadily distributing visitors across the formerly less-visited parts of Visayas and Mindanao.
The Philippines and South Korea signed a new air services agreement last Nov. 8, giving each country 20,000 seats per week between Manila and international airports in South Korea.
Included in the new memorandum of agreement (MOA) is a provision for unlimited traffic rights for authorized airlines of both countries between all international airports in the Philippines outside Manila and all international airports in South Korea.
According to Carmelo Arcilla, Executive Director of the Civil Aeronautics Board, the expanded air traffic rights in Manila is intended to address the increased demand for air services between Manila and Korea, while the unlimited air traffic rights outside Manila will help develop airports outside Manila and stimulate tourism and trade in the provinces.
Six Korean carriers currently fly to Cebu: Jeju Air, Jin Air, Asiana, Korean Air, Air Busan, and T’way.
From January to May 2017, Central Visayas welcomed 350,317 Korean visitors compared to 330,522 for the entirety of 2016.
via SunStar
