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WITH the Taiwan-based Mandarin Airlines launching direct flights
from Taipei to Kalibo Aklan, the Department of Tourism (DOT) is
expecting more Taiwanese travelers to visit Boracay, the country’s
premier tourist destination.
“The opening of the new flights will
definitely help us claim a good share of the booming Taiwanese
outbound market. By going straight to Kalibo, we further encourage
travelers from Taipei to visit more of the Philippines and show the
many holiday experiences awaiting them,” Tourism Secretary Ace
Durano said, following the recent inauguration of the Taipei-to-Kalibo
route of Mandarin Airlines, a sister company of China Airlines.
Aboard a B737-800 aircraft, some 160 Taiwanese
visitors took the maiden flight from Taipei to Kalibo, one of the
major gateways to Boracay. The Taiwanese visitors were welcomed in
Boracay with traditional folk dances and other festivities organized
by the DOT Team Asia Pacific Head Rica Bueno and Undersecretary for
Sports and Wellness Cynthia Carrion.
Kalibo is the airline’s fourth destination in
the Philippines. Mandarin airlines will have regular flights to
Kalibo every Wednesday and Saturday. It also has regular flights to
Cebu and is expected to resume its flights to Laoag. It also
previously operated flights to Subic.
Eric Tung, General Manager of Mandarin
Airlines’ Philippines branch said the decision to add Kalibo to
their routes was due to the overwhelming market demand from
Taiwanese travelers to go to Boracay.
“Our flight to Kalibo is good news to
Taiwanese travelers because they can now enjoy Boracay. The DOT and
other concerned agencies have given a lot of assistance so we can
fly to Kalibo,” Tung said.
Tung said that because of the overwhelming
demand, the next six flights to Kalibo are all fully booked.
Taiwanese tourist arrivals reached 9,486 for the
month of April 2008. This is 36.2 percent better than the 6,965
number recorded in April 2007.
For this year, Boracay expects some 700,000
foreign visitors and that figure is expected to grow to one million
by 2010.
-- Rommel C. Lontayao
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