ILOILO City – The Department of Tourism (DOT) is pushing for direct international flights from the Iloilo Airport to Taiwan, Japan, and Korea to attract more foreign tourists to Western Visayas.
Regional Director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez is making this push following the successful resumption of flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong on October 27, 2024, and from Iloilo to Singapore on November 5, 2024.
The upcoming direct flights from Iloilo to Bangkok, Thailand set to begin this March 31 is also part of the initiative.
Rodriguez expressed optimism that the new Bangkok direct flights would contribute to increasing foreign arrivals, citing Thailand’s proximity to the Philippines and the excitement to showcase the region’s culture and heritage to Thai travelers.
“We are hoping to have more international direct flights to and from Iloilo,” she said.
Currently, the Iloilo to Singapore flights operate three times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with flights from Singapore to Iloilo also running three times a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Iloilo to Hong Kong flights operate four times a week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, while flights from Hong Kong to Iloilo are available on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
The new direct flights from Iloilo to Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport will operate three times a week, with scheduled flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
Regarding feedback from passengers, Rodriguez noted that direct flights to Hong Kong and Singapore have seen positive results due to the high number of Filipinos working and residing in these countries. “Hong Kong and Singapore are also hubs for cruise ships, and Iloilo is one of the top producers of seafarers, so we are fortunate to have direct flights to these destinations. Now, there’s no need to go through Manila to return to the province,” Rodriguez explained.
On domestic flights, Rodriguez shared that there are no new routes being proposed at the moment, as there are already plenty of domestic routes offered by airline companies.
However, she stressed the importance of strengthening existing routes to avoid the potential suspension of services due to low passenger loads.
“We hope to strengthen the current routes to ensure their continued operation. Media support will also be important in promoting these routes,” she added.
Data from DOT showed the region registering a total of 5,909,568 tourist arrivals in 2024, reflecting a 10.25% increase compared to 2023 and a slight 0.38% increase from 2019, when arrivals reached 5.8 million.
These arrivals contributed an estimated P74 billion in visitor receipts, with P10.96 billion coming from foreign and overseas Filipino tourists.
Here’s the breakdown of the region’s 2024 tourist arrivals and their respective receipts:
* Aklan – 2,202,023 tourists (P42.93 billion)
* Antique – 210,301 tourists (P948.21 million)
* Capiz – 282,929 tourists (P1.00 billion)
* Guimaras – 137,953 tourists (P455.13 million)
* Iloilo – 358,475 tourists (P3.94 billion)
* Negros Occidental – 883,514 tourists (P7.93 billion)
* Bacolod City – 833,345 tourists (P7.57 billion)
* Iloilo City – 1,001,028 tourists (P9.40 billion)
These figures reflect the growing tourism industry in Western Visayas and the region’s potential to attract more international visitors in the years ahead, said Rodriguez./PN
