Cebu Pacific aims to boost demand for Singapore travel

CEBU PACIFIC said on Monday it will add a Clark-Singapore route to its existing Singapore-bound routes from Manila, Cebu and Davao, and boost demand by offering free travel programs in partnership with Singapore Tourism Board (STB).

“In anticipation of summer, peak travel season, we now have four cities with direct accessibility to Singapore. We’re quite optimistic for the market for these flights,” said Michelle Eve A. de Guzman, Cebu Pacific’s marketing director, at a press briefing on Monday.

Starting end of March, flights will increase to four times weekly from Davao and daily from Cebu, while daily flights from Clark will be launched starting April 28.

“The frequency of our Manila-Singapore route, flying three times a day, is almost back to pre-pandemic numbers. This really contributes to the accessibility of Singapore for Filipinos,” Ms. de Guzman added.

To boost demand, STB’s rewards program SingapoRewards will offer one of 40 complimentary itineraries or experiences to every international short-term visitor who arrives by air throughout 2023.

The experiences will take tourists to lesser-known places such as the Brass Lion Distillery and the S.E.A. Aquarium, and unique adventures such as the Bugis, Waterloo, and Kampong Gelam Instagram walking tour.

Juliana Kua, STB’s assistant chief executive, said that Singapore got 6.3 million tourists in 2022, which they aim to increase to 12-14 million this year.

“As for the Philippine market, which has always been a strong one for us, we’re hoping it will at least double for 2023, whether it’s their first time or repeat visits where they discover sides of Singapore they never knew about before,” she told BusinessWorld.

The SingapoRewards program was piloted in Australia, India, and Indonesia from October 2022 to March 2023 and is now available globally.

Because of the budget carrier’s increase in flights and STB’s rewards program, Cebu Pacific is confident that Filipinos can “extract value from the entire Singapore travel experience,” according to Candice Iyog, Cebu Pacific’s customer experience officer.

“When we announce additional capacity, we intend for it to stay that way. It will depend on the market, but we’re optimistic that Filipinos will respond well to these travel opportunities,” she said at the briefing.

SingapoRewards can be redeemed and booked through the VisitSingapore app and website. — Brontë H. Lacsamana