Tourism seeks direct flights from Europe

The tourism industry is calling on the government and the air transport sector to establish direct flights between the Philippines and different European countries to take advantage of the multi-billion-dollar tourism market in the northwestern hemisphere.

Officials in charge of promoting the Philippines in Europe said the lack of direct flights to and from Europe limited the flow of European travelers into the country.

Vincent Soriano, who is based in Prague, said only European travelers ,who were willing to spend as much as $3,000 per person, actually visited the Philippines and used the amount mostly on air transport.

At present, European travelers have to take connecting flights from other Southeast Asian countries or the Middle East to go to the Philippines , which makes the trip expensive.

Manila Standard Today, Philippines