MANILA, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The growing number of Chinese visitors passing through Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) in the central Philippines will soon see directional signs and informational signage in Chinese text or Mandarin.
According to the local Cebu Daily News, MCIA authorities want to make sure that Chinese and other foreign tourists visiting Cebu will have a seamless experience when flying in and out of the airport. And these measures to be implemented include the installation of way-finding and informational signages in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 with Chinese language translations.
The MCIA is the gateway to the elongated island of Cebu, also known as the "Queen City of the South".
These are just some of the upgrades that MCIA authorities are doing in anticipation of an influx of Chinese tourists in the third quarter as airlines launch more flights to China.
The operator of the MCIA, the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp (GMCAC), said that more airlines started to add direct flights from MCIA to China.
Edgar Saavedra, chairman and CEO of Megawide, the parent company of GMCAC, said in a statement on Monday that 12 out of the 15 new flights opened in the first half of 2018 were direct flights to China. These include new routes to Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Changsha and Nanjing and additional flights to Shanghai, he said.
"Traffic growth in Cebu will be driven to a greater extent by our visitors from China. This is an opportunity that we want to maximize," said Megaside Chairman and CEO Saavedra.
He added, "These new flights are the result of sustained airline marketing initiatives, and we will continue to work on opening more routes to provide Chinese tourists with even greater accessibility to Cebu and nearby destinations."
Traveling via Cebu to other tourist destinations in the Visayas and Mindanao only takes about 30 minutes compared to the almost one-hour travel time from Manila.
"The location of Cebu provides added convenience for travelers going to these areas. Cebu is the ideal starting point," he said.
The island-province of Cebu is one of the top destinations for both local and foreign tourists due to its balmy weather, pristine beaches, crystal-clear waters, luxurious resorts, shopping malls and golf fairways.
