Almost 97% of all the tourists arrive to the Philippines by air. It means that while a reliable air connectivity is of primary importance for the country's tourism industry, developing of more gateways will definitely have a positive impact on tourist arrivals.
The Department of Tourism of the Philippines joined hands with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) in order to improve and upgrade the already existing domestic and international airports. Besides airports, construction of new ports and modernization of the old ones is of major importance. A quality sea travel infrastructure will encourage tourists to opt for sea transport while island hopping. It will allow to connect islands which othervise rely on air links with a necessary stopover in Manila what makes travel expensive and not time efficient.
Currently the country has 12 international gateways. They service the 49 Tourism Development Areas in the Philippines. Eight of these gateways have already undergone upgrading. Last year, two new international airports were added to the country's air network. They are the Mactan-Cebu International Airport with estimated annual capacity of 12.5 million pax, and the Bohol-Panglao International Airport, able to handle 3 million passengers per year.
Philippines Upgrading Existing Gateways to the Country, Developing New Ones
News in Asia
The Philippines believe that building gateways to the country and improving the existing ones is vital for further boosting the tourism industry. Being an archipelagic state, the Philippines rely greatly on air transportation.