Palace sees tourism boost with direct Vancouver-Manila flights

FILE: Passengers waiting to board their flight. (PCI photo)

By Darryl John Esguerra, Philippine News Agency

MANILA – The recent launch of a direct flight route from Vancouver, Canada to Manila is expected to significantly boost both tourism and the economy, Malacañang said Tuesday.

In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro noted the positive impact the new flight connection would have on tourism.

“Mas maganda po talaga kung tayo po’y magbibiyahe sa napakalayong bansa, talaga pong mas nanaisin po natin ang (It would be much better if we were traveling to a very distant country, people would really prefer a) direct flight,” Castro said.

She said that with the new direct flight, more Canadian tourists are likely to visit the Philippines.

“Mas marami pong turista mula sa nasabing bansa ang maaari nating i-expect na makarating sa Pilipinas dahil sa napakagandang pagkakataong ito na magkakaroon na po ng Canadian airlines na diretsong pupunta sa Pilipinas at tayo din po ay diretso papuntang Canada (We can expect more tourists from the said country to arrive in the Philippines because of this great opportunity),” she said.

She added that the new flight route would be beneficial for the economies of both countries, strengthening bilateral ties and promoting greater travel opportunities.

Air Canada, the flag carrier and the largest airline of Canada, opened its new Vancouver-Manila route last week.

It will operate three nonstop flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday) throughout April and increase to four flights per week by May.

In 2024, Canada ranked sixth in tourist arrivals in the Philippines, with 269,300 visitors contributing USD304.32 million to the local economy.