According to the Department of Tourism (DOT), negotiations are currently underway for flights to operate between the Philippines and India.
Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco stated that negotiations between the two nations are going well, while speaking on the fringes of the 2024 post-State of the Nation Address (SONA) in Pasay City.
By the end of the year, inaugural chartered flights to test the Indian market are anticipated to be operational.
Aviation discussions
To promote direct flights to the Philippines, the Department of Tourism and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines are actively negotiating with Indian carriers.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) intends to promote Philippine destinations among Indian travelers by working with tour operators and introducing charter flights as a means of gauging market demand.
The government is also looking to improve the nation's tourist infrastructure, especially for Indian citizens by expediting the e-Visa application procedure.
Capturing the market
“Hopefully, with these negotiations and collaborations that we made in cooperation with the Department of Transportation, we will be seeing good news in terms of mounted flights before the end of the year,” Frasco said.
Indian nationals made up one of the largest outbound travel markets in the globe last year, and was ranked 13th in terms of arrivals in the country at 70,286.
