The Philippines Department of Tourism (DOT) is focusing on enhancing the travel infrastructure and to add more flights between the United States and the Philippines in order to shorten travel times and make the country more accessible for tourists.
In 2022, over half a million travelers from the United States visited the Philippines. Despite the high number of visitors, only one carrier, Philippine Airlines (PAL), operated direct flights between the US mainland and Manila. As a result, most travelers had to fly indirectly. PAL currently maintains services to five North American airports: Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), San Francisco (SFO), New York (JFK), Vancouver International Airport (YVR), and Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).
Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco wants to change the current situation. In an interview with PhilStar, she said, “Our goal is to increase these numbers (flights) to ensure that we give as much accessibility to the Philippines as possible. But, ultimately, in partnership with the DOT, our intention is not only to maintain these primary gateways but also to develop our secondary gateways that will take our tourists nearer to their final destination, to take out the hassle of traveling too many hours and too many flights to be able to access key destinations in the country.”
The US Remains the Top Source of Visitors
The US has been the number one source of visitor numbers for the Philippines since the government allowed international arrivals post-pandemic in February 2022. Frasco recently traveled to California to meet with industry stakeholders and express her country’s gratitude for the consistent number of travelers from the United States.
Exploring Exotic Philippine Destinations
With over 7,100 islands, the Philippines offers a variety of exotic destinations for tourists, such as Boracay, Palawan, and Cebu. The majority of travelers start their journey at the country’s main airport, Manila Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL), which is currently operating over capacity. Overflow traffic is redirected to Clark International Airport (CRK), approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Manila.
Despite MNL welcoming numerous international carriers from major Asian cities and direct services to the Gulf region from the Middle East’s big three, North American connections are limited. PAL is the only carrier with direct flights to the US mainland and LAX. United Airlines does offer services to Koror’s Roman Tmetuchl International Airport (ROR) in Palau and Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport (GUM) in Guam, but no other US carriers operate in the region.
Nonetheless, the Manila airport encounters a significant issue: airport slot constraints, which hinder other airlines from introducing additional direct flights to Manila. As a result, should Philippine Airlines consider reestablishing flights between Cebu and Los Angeles, or even initiating flights between Clark and Los Angeles? I sincerely hope that PAL can acquire more aircraft, especially new ones, soon! Frankly, I believe they should not have relinquished too many A350s.
First love never dies. I fell in love with airplanes and aviation when I was a kid. My dream was to become a pilot, but destiny led me to another path: to be an aviation digital media content creator and a small business owner. My passion for aviation inspires me to bring you quality content through my website and social accounts. Aviation is indeed in my blood and blog!
