With a new air route connecting Cebu and Palawan, the tourism linkage between both destinations is expected to grow.

National flag-carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL), through its low fares unit PAL Express, recently opened direct flights between Mactan in Cebu and Puerto Princesa in Palawan.

Both areas are considered prime tourist destinations in the central Philippines super region. More…

WITH Cebu’s capacity to draw more tourists, an airline is launching two more routes to serve the growing demand of travelers.

Taking a cue from over 250,000 Filipino arrivals in Macau, Cebu Pacific (CEB) inaugurated last Saturday a new direct flight from Cebu to Macau, making it the only airline to offer a non-stop air travel for the Cebu-Macau route.

Candice Iyog, CEB vice president for marketing and product, said the new offering increases the airline’s number of international flights to 12, with six from Cebu. More…

After Gokongwei-owned airline Cebu Pacific opened its Cebu-Bangkok direct service, the private sector now eyes to tap the huge European tourism and trade market that frequents the city.Last Sunday, Cebu Pacific inaugurated its Cebu-Bangkok route with around 140 passengers composed mostly of vacationers for a 150-capacity plane, said its spokesperson Candice Iyog in an interview.

Iyog also added that as for their Bangkok-Cebu flight, they have already generated around 120 passengers.

“We’ve now made it more affordable for people to visit the Philippines and Thailand. Our Cebu- Bangkok service will stir ease and convenience in business trading and provide tourists the opportunity to enjoy the relaxing vacation getaways in both countries,” she said. Continue reading…

The country’s flag carrier is planning to open flights from Cebu to Los Angeles (LA), California in late 2009 or early 2010 in response to the clamor of Cebuanos for direct flights to the US.

“We are still looking into the possibility of having a stopover (in Korea) or a non-stop flight to the US,” Jaime Bautista, president of Philippine Airlines (PAL), said in a press conference in Cebu City.

But Bautista said the Cebu-LA flight will only be possible if the Philippines’ aviation safety rating will be upgraded to Category 1. Continue…

Nederland’s Website features Cebu X 2008Cebu X / Cebu International Furniture & Furnishings ExhibitionMar 6-9, 2008, Cebu City, Philippines

A leading furniture Mecca in Asia, Cebu is also one of the safest and most secure places to do business. A small island with numerous sea and air linkages, Cebu has long been the ideal gateway for doing business in the Philippines. With clear blue skies, world-class resorts and holiday spots, booming economic and export zones and an electrifying milieu, you might think this place has it all, but then there’s more.Read the rest of this entry

More tourists are expected to visit Central Visayas with Cebu as the gateway as a Cebu-Bangkok flight opens next year.

Cebu Pacific (CEB) vice president for marketing and product Candice Iyog said aside from providing tourists with another international option for business and leisure, the new flight will usher in more tourists in Central Visayas with Cebu as the international gateway.

In Tuesday’s press conference, CEB announced it will fly direct from Cebu to Bangkok three times a week starting April 6, 2008. More...

Cebu is one of the best tourist destinations in the Philippines. A “Queen City of the South” marks its rich in history and culture.  You can find lots of firsts and best of the bests. Foods, places and historic landmarks.

One historic places you can find is the Fort San Pedro (near Pier1).  It was rainy Sunday afternoon, when my friends and I decided to visit Fort San Pedro for a photo shoot.  It’s a nice location indeed for a picnic–uhmm picnic?  Noh!  Did i say picnic?  Uh we’ll what can you do to a beautiful garden, castle-like and peaceful? Is it a nice location for a picnic, right?  Fort San Pedro is an ideal place for picnic yet it’s considered as a National Treasure by the Philippine Government.  It is said built on 1565 by the Spaniards to keep a lookout for pirates, has also served as prison during the Philippine revolution, as US Army barracks and city zoo. Today, the fort has been turned into a park or museum where visitors can have a little more information about Cebu history. Keep the Fort, keep our history.

Not only does Cebu have two “theme songs” — the older pop tune whose
refrain goes “Cebu! Cebu! I’m really longing to see Cebu!” and a newer
anthem, also pop in orientation, that extols Cebuanos (“Mabuhi! Mabuhi!
Mabuhi ka Sugbuanon!”), as well as an “official” choreography for the
second song—but in every town we visited as part of the “Northern
Escapade” for the “Suroy Suroy Sugbu,” we heard an official town hymn!

Or as Anton Quisumbing, who joined the last leg of the “suroy suroy,” put it: “Cebu is not
an island, it’s a lifestyle!”More.

On September 5-7, Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano will lead the guests during the
opening ceremonies of the 1st Philippine International Tourism Fair
(PITF) at the Cebu International Convention Center in Mandaue City on
September 5.

Almost 150 foreign buyers of travel packages – tour operators,
travel specialists and corporate executives – and owners and executives
of local resorts, hotels, medical tourism hospitals, golf courses and
other tourism-oriented establishments will join the event.

More than 300 corporate buyers are expected to transact business with tour providers and foreign buyers/wholesalers.More inq7.net

Peanuts! Low Cost Airline News

Cebu Pacific announced plans to accept payments for rebooking transactions via its call centre beginning 15-Aug-07.

Passengers will be able to call the 24-hour hotline to rebook services and pay for the rebooking fees using Visa or Mastercard credit cards over the phone. Cebu Pacific will also be increasing the capacity of the call centre by another 30%, beginning 01-Sep-07, to further improve the airline’s accessibility and convenience.

Cebu Pacific currently processes approximately 450 rebooking transactions per day. The ability of its system to accept payments via call centre will also help shorten queues in its ticketing offices.

About 5 of Flickr group member photoraphers (including me), headed to Parian one Sunday morning and took a street photo from Parian to Colon.  It was exciting to learn about photography and of course about history of Cebu.

The FAMOUS PARIAN SHRINE.

Read the rest of this entry »

Peanuts! Low Cost Airline News

Cebu Pacific (CEB) announced plans to further strengthen operations from its Cebu hub with the introduction of Cebu-Cagayan de Oro service, starting 27-Sep-07, and increased capacity for Cebu-Hong Kong services, from 13-Sep-07.

The Cebu–Cagayan de Oro service is scheduled to operate three times weekly, using CEB’s A319 aircraft. CEB’s Cebu-Hong Kong service will now be operated six times weekly, with the additional day frequency increasing its capacity for the service by 20%.