FOREIGN carrier Singapore Airlines anticipates a “healthy increase” in leisure and business travel in the Philippines, riding on the country’s forecasted economic expansion pegged at 6 percent annually through 2018.
Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President for Southeast Asia Philip Go also said the influx of traveling in and out of the Philippines will be boosted by the capacity injection in the market.
“As the Philippines continues to be one of the fastest-growing economies around the world, we can expect a healthy increase in both leisure and business travel,” he said. “Travel, in general, will also continue to be spurred by capacity injection in the market.”
“Regardless of whether it is inbound or outbound travel, we can also expect traffic across key secondary cities in the Philippines to gain more prominence,” he said.
Singapore Airlines operates in Manila, Cebu, Davao and Kalibo.
“Coupled with strategic alliances with airlines, such as the Lufthansa Group, Scandinavian Airlines, Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia, the Singapore Airlines Group is well positioned to provide a seamless link between the Philippines and the rest of the world,” Go said.
The group has been operating in the Philippines for over five decades now.
“The Philippines has always been an important market for Singapore Airlines and we remain committed in elevating the Philippines into a global transportation hub,” he said.
“We believe in the Philippines’s potential as a tourist destination and have invested heavily to promote inbound tourism,” he said.
The company has worked closely with the Department of Tourism to launch various marketing initiatives to spur interest in the Philippines as a tourist spot.
Singapore Airlines recently celebrated its 70th anniversary across the globe.
“We want to continue doing our best to exceed our customers’ expectations—whether it be more travel destinations, more frequent flights, or more great-value deals,” Singapore Airlines General Manager Philippines
Carol Ong said.
Image credits: Bloomberg news