Philippine Airlines said Friday it signed a strategic partnership with Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s leading travel platform, to strengthen tourism growth in the Philippines and in the region.
PAL and Traveloka executives signed a memorandum of understanding in Manila on Feb. 28, 2023.
“We are pleased to forge this new partnership with Traveloka, which will help us fortify our connections with the global market. Philippine Airlines has always made it a top concern to build, sustain and develop the direct air links to countries in the region and beyond, which means reaching out to travelers living all over the world,” said PAL president and chief operating officer Captain Stanley Ng.
“Our intent is for the partnership to unlock new travel options for our customers to fly with Philippine Airlines to various wonderful destinations all around the Philippines, and to diverse international destinations as well,” he said.
Based on the data from the Department of Tourism, around 83,000 tourists visited the Philippines from the Southeast Asian region during the early part of the pandemic in 2020, a dramatic drop from the over 526,000 in 2019 because of global border restrictions.
Data showed that in 2022, number of Southeast Asian visitors heading to the Philippines reached 188,000, increasing by more than double.
Iko Putera, chief executive of Transport Traveloka, said that during the post-pandemic period, people’s enthusiasm for business and tourism travel had increased along with the return of consumers’ confidence in traveling. The surge was driven by the high rate of vaccinations and the re-opening of international borders.
Travel recovery in the Philippines is also seen in Traveloka’s internal data from 2021 to 2022. The number of visitors coming to the Philippines from Southeast Asian countries where Traveloka is operating went up by eight times.
Meanwhile, the number of passengers using the flight network of Philippine Airlines to various international destinations almost doubled.
“Since 2015, Traveloka has expanded to six countries in Southeast Asia, including the Philippines. Our presence in the market shows our commitment to offering services that focus on increasingly dynamic consumer needs. Also, providing easy access through the adoption of technology to fulfill consumers’ travel aspirations in Southeast Asia,” Iko said.
“Collaboration between Traveloka and the Philippine Airlines provides a variety of choices and flexibility for travelers to be able to enjoy and explore destinations in the Philippines in a more personalized, and unique way,” Iko said.
“Our platform offers various travel solutions and services, from accommodation options to local activities through Traveloka Xperience. We hope this partnership will positively contribute to tourism recovery in the Philippines and Southeast Asia,” he said. Darwin G. Amojelar