Resumption of Tacloban flights to boost tourism

CONTRIBUTED

TACLOBAN CITY—The relaunching of flights connecting Eastern Visayas through this capital city to Iloilo and Davao are set to boost regional connectivity with the Visayas and Mindanao, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT)

The Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport on Oct. 29, resumed flights from Tacloban City in Leyte to Iloilo and Davao, adding to the existing routes to Manila and Cebu served by Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and AirAsia.

The flights to Iloilo and Davao are operated by Cebu Pacific.

The Department of Tourism in Eastern Visayas (DOT-8) welcomed Cebu Pacific’s new routes connecting Tacloban to Iloilo and Davao, viewing these as significant opportunities to position Eastern Visayas as a prime travel destination.

According to Karen Rosa Tiopes, regional director of DOT-8, increased air connectivity is a key factor in boosting visitor arrivals by making the region more accessible.

Flights in and out of Tacloban were earlier limited to Manila and Cebu, but she said these new routes now enable smoother access from Iloilo in Western Visayas and Davao in Mindanao.

“This expanded connectivity offers new opportunities to attract tourists from Western Visayas and Mindanao. Our local tour operators and tourism businesses will find it easier to establish partnerships with counterparts in Iloilo and Davao, facilitating a wider market reach,” Tiopes said in an interview on Nov. 2.

She also expressed hopes for additional flights, particularly a potential Tacloban-Clark route, which would connect Eastern Visayas to Northern Luzon, further broadening the region’s tourism reach and enhancing accessibility.

The Tacloban-Iloilo flights are scheduled on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, while the Tacloban-Davao flights are available every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Both the Tacloban-Iloilo and Tacloban-Davao routes ceased after Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) struck Tacloban in 2013.

The relaunching of these routes came amid a major rehabilitation project at DZR Airport, with over P1 billion allocated to upgrade facilities to accommodate more flights and larger commercial aircraft.