AirAsia: Boracay reopening to restore leisure travel

LOW-COST carrier Philippines AirAsia, Inc. announced Tuesday its latest promotional fares for flights to Boracay Island to support the Tourism department’s efforts to gradually reopen the tourism sector amid the pandemic crisis.

“The reopening of Boracay is a great step forward in jumpstarting the travel and tourism industry of the Philippines. The overall implementation of this reopening will be the model for the restoration of leisure travel to more domestic destinations,” Philippines AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Ricardo P. Isla said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.

He added: “Right now, our goal is to stimulate activity inside local economies by supporting businesses and enterprises heavily affected by the pandemic.”

He said the carrier has partnered with local hotels to offer special travel packages to its customers.

“To celebrate Boracay’s reopening, AirAsia is offering base fares from as low as P8, SNAP (Flight + Hotel) deals  up to 30% off on flights, and 8% off on Boracay Activities using the Promo Code: BORA8,” Philippines AirAsia said.

The promotional fares are available for ticket bookings from Sept. 29 until Oct. 4 for trips between Oct. 1, 2020, and June 30 next year.

The budget carrier said it will ensure the strict implementation of its health protocols.

The company said Boracay tourists are required to present a medical certificate issued by any government physician, a travel authority pass issued by the Philippine National Police, a Health Declaration Card which can be found on Aklan’s official website, negative coronavirus test results taken within 72 hours prior to departure date,  and booking confirmation details for hotel or resort.

“The reopening of Boracay to new market sources signals a gathering momentum for domestic tourism all over the country. We are pleased that the Boracay Inter-agency Task Force and the local government units of the Province of Aklan and Municipality of Malay have agreed to put health and safety as the priority as we carefully and safely welcome more guests to the island,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a recent statement. — Arjay L. Balinbin