CEBU will host two major aviation-industry events next year which officials said will help promote its status as a international gateway.
In a forum Friday, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Cebu will be hosting Routes Asia, an international air travel convention.
“We are excited to inform you that Cebu will be hosting Routes Asia,” she said, calling it the biggest aviation and route development event in Asia.
“We expect 800 delegates, 100 airlines, 200 airports, 30 tourism authorities, and 20 speakers at the event,” she added.
She added that when the Philippines hosted Routes Asia in 2016, it provided an opportunity to promote the country’s destinations to route planners and network developers in Asia.
In the year after the conference — 2017 — the Philippine market grew by nearly 1.5 million international air seats, she said.
The Department of Tourism (DoT) also announced that Cebu will host a Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation (CAPA) conference in June.
“In addition to this, Cebu will also be hosting CAPA Low-Cost Carrier Summit from June 10 to 11 in 2019,” Ms. Romulo-Puyat said.
CAPA is a Australia-based aviation industry think tank.
Ms. Romulo-Puyat added Routes Asia and the CAPA Summit offer opportunities for industry networking.
“Our hosting of two major aviation events in a single year is a milestone and part of our route development efforts under the national tourism development plan. These events are opportunities for the Philippines to promote its international gateways to industry decision makers from major tourist source markets around the world,” she said. — Gillian M. Cortez
