Japanese tourists want more flights to Cebu

CEBU, Philippines — Although Cebu is already connected to Japan via several direct flights, Japanese travelers are still demanding for more.

This was the main concern of Japanese travelers based on the information gathered by the delegates of the recently concluded 12-day roadshow by Plantation Bay Resort and Spa and  Philippine Airlines (PAL) in three Japanese cities.

In an interview with Plantation Bay Resort and Spa general manager Efren Belarmino, he said the interest among the high-spender Japanese to travel to Cebu is on its peak now, however, the existing direct flight services offered by airlines are not enough to accommodate the growing demand of Japanese passengers going to the Philippines, particularly Cebu.

The Cebuano-owned five star resort just concluded its annual 12-day promotional roadshow in Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka.

Japanese nationals from Fukuoka in particular expressed their desire to be given a direct flight access to Cebu.

Fukuoka is the economic center of the Kyushu region, with an economy largely focused on the service sector.

Japanese arrivals to Central Visayas grew by 4.43 percent from January to May this year, based on the latest record from the DOT-7.

For the first five years this year, Central Visayas attracted a total of 163,253 Japanese tourists. Belarmino said this could grow more if given more flights from Cebu to different prefecture in Japan.

The 255-room resort is one of the huge properties in Cebu that made early preparations for the anticipated recovery of Japanese tourist influx.

Since 2015, Plantation Bay has started to invest on facility improvements to suit the distinct preference of the Japanese market.

Aside from altering the details of room interiors like bed size, among others, Plantation Bay also introduced unique programs designed solely for the emerging young professional Japanese ladies.

A complete beauty and wellness program had been carefully designed to suit the whims of the sophisticated Japanese women, said Belarmino.

A Japanese tourist spends at least US$200 a day in a destination. This could provide an earning of close to P30,000 in a three-day stay for a single tourist.

"Cebu is the number one destination of choice among Japanese," said Belarmino, adding that if provided with the enough number of connecting flights, Cebu and the entire region can expect a surprising resurgence of Japanese tourists. (FREEMAN)