The Philippines is stepping up its push for stronger tourism and business connectivity with China through the opening of new direct flights from Hangzhou, Changsha, and Chongqing.<\/p>\n
The Department of Tourism (DOT), in a news release on Wednesday, said XiamenAir inaugurated on May 20 the Hangzhou\u2013Manila service that offers a direct three-and-a-half-hour flight, replacing the longer multi-leg flight for travelers from eastern China.<\/p>\n
For frequent visitor Yang Yan of Hangzhou, the new route reflects a clear improvement in travel efficiency.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not my first time in Manila, but it\u2019s my first time flying direct from Hangzhou to Manila, so it feels very convenient for us. The flight only takes around three and a half hours,\u201d Yan was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n
The DOT said the Hangzhou\u2013Manila service will operate four times weekly, until Oct. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
Also, Qingdao Airlines launched its Changsha\u2013Manila service on May 16, followed by XiamenAir\u2019s Chongqing\u2013Manila route on May 21.<\/p>\n
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the government is prioritizing air connectivity as a core pillar of tourism recovery under the current administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnder the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we are accelerating the restoration of air connectivity from China because we recognize that this market remains one of the Philippines\u2019 biggest opportunities for tourism growth,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cVisitor arrivals from China have already posted the strongest growth among our major source markets this year, supported by expanded direct services and measures that have made travel more accessible,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said capacity constraints continue to limit full recovery, noting that current seat capacity from China has recovered to only about half of the pre-pandemic levels, while visitor growth is already outpacing the pace of capacity restoration.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis tells us that the challenge is no longer demand alone – it is our ability to convert that returning interest into actual travel through sufficient, reliable, and commercially sustainable access,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
From Jan. 1 to May 19, the Philippines recorded 7.78 million international air seats for inbound travel, which reflects an 8.31 percent increase year-on-year.<\/p>\n
During the same period, there were 30,729 international flight arrivals, up 4.71 percent compared to the same period in 2025.<\/p>\n
The DOT said China accounted for 4.56 percent of total visitor arrivals in the country in 2025, one of the key source markets for the country. (PNA)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Officials expect the flights to create more opportunities for tourism growth and business exchanges between both countries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":75,"featured_media":264549,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[101],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-264548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-travel"],"zyndk8_nxtgen_metadata":{"nxtgen_comments":[{"9204":"hangzhou to manila, bilis na travel ngayon \ud83d\udeeb\r","9205":"grbe kung half pa lang capacity, may room pa lumago\r"}]},"yoast_head":"\n