The City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) said that direct flights from Hong Kong to Davao and Davao to Hong Kong have resumed on Sunday, opening more tourism and business opportunities for the city.
Ms. Jennifer Romero, CTOO head, told the Madayaw Program over the city-owned Davao City Disaster Radio on Tuesday that the direct flights are scheduled on Sundays and Thursdays of the week.
“This is a really great opportunity for us, not only in tourism, but for business kay as we know Hong Kong is one of the biggest airports in Asia connecting to the world (This is really a great opportunity for us, not only in tourism, but also for business since Hong Kong is one of the biggest airports in Asia connecting the world),” she said.
Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) would also benefit from the direct flights as they now have the option to fly directly from Hong Kong to Davao.
Romero also said that her office will ensure the sustainability of these flights, and hopes to acquire more direct flights.
She also said that they are working on stabilizing the direct flights to Davao to provide more options and connectivity, not only for Davao City but the whole of Mindanao.
“At least, we can have a lot of options and connectivity, and if we have numerous connectivity that would also be an angle for tourism to come, for investments to come, for business opportunities to grow, and for our OFWs to have an access of easy and direct flight coming home to Davao,” she said.
Romero said an Air Connectivity Council is also being crafted to look into the city’s bid for more direct flights to and from Davao.
“We need also to make sure nga naa gyud council nga mututok ani and mupromote sad ani. Part of the objective of the council is to come up with concrete information, data, and objectives on how we can be competitive in selling our place and attracting other airline companies to forge partnerships with us and open more flights for Davao (We also need to make sure that there is a council that will focus and promote this bid. Part of the council’s objective is to come up with concrete information, data, and objectives on how we can competitively market our place and attract other airline companies to forge a partnership with us and open more flights for Davao).”
The council will be composed of members from different government agencies, including the Davao City Investment Promotion Center (DCIPC), the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and other agencies. CIO
