(Eagle News) — Various airlines are already preparing for the re-opening to local tourists of Boracay island this October.
Air Asia has already started disinfecting their cabins, and has even offered P8 seat sale to encourage more passengers to book flights.
“To celebrate Boracay’s reopening, AirAsia is offering base fares from as low as P8*, SNAP (Flight + Hotel) deals up to 30% off on flights, and 8% off on Boracay Activities using the Promo Code: BORA8, all available at airasia.com for booking from today until 4 October 2020 for travel between 1 October 2020 and 30 June 2021,” Air Asia said in a statement posted on Tuesday, Sept. 29.
AirAsia Philippines CEO Ricky Isla noted how the reopening of Boracay was “a great step forward in jumpstarting the travel and tourism industry of the Philippines.”
“The overall implementation of this reopening will be the model for the restoration of leisure travel to more domestic destinations. Right now, our goal is to stimulate activity inside local economies by supporting businesses and enterprises heavily affected by the pandemic. That is why we’ve partnered with local hotels to provide amazing combo deals on SNAP, our flight + hotel combo booking platform, which provides our guests with more savings at their convenience,” Isla said.
“As the health and safety of our guests are always a top priority, we will ensure that our stringent protocols are strictly carried out and observed properly by all.”
-Importance of safety protocols-
Air Asia noted the importance of safety protocols.
“As the island reopens to tourists from areas under modified and general community quarantine (MGCQ & GCQ), guests bound for Caticlan are reminded of the requirements, as well as precautionary measures in place to ensure the highest standards of safety are observed throughout their whole journey,” it said.
All leisure tourists bound for Caticlan are required to present the following documents:
a) A medical certificate issued by any government physician;
b) A travel authority pass issued by the Philippine National Police (PNP);
c) A Health Declaration Card which can be found at aklan.gov.ph;
d) A negative RT-PCR test results taken within 72 hours prior to their departure date; and
e) Booking confirmation details for hotel/resort to be presented upon check-in and arrival
Air Asia said guests can “expect enhanced safety measures throughout the entire journey, including pre-flight, in-flight, and during the arrival process. These include the mandatory wearing of face masks to be permitted to travel, amongst others.”
“Guests are also advised to check and comply with measures implemented by local airport authorities for a smooth travel experience. AirAsia is closely monitoring this situation and reserves the right to announce further policies according to the latest developments,” it said.
Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines is also ready to schedule flights to Boracay once the government allows it. Their cabin crews are also wearing personal protective equipment for flights.
Cebu Pacific, on the other hand, noticed that there were very few passengers who have so far booked flights for local travel. But the airline hopes that this will increase with the reopening of Boracay.
(with a report from Rebecca Jane Giray, Eagle News Service)