Cebu Pacific expands presence, opens Tokyo post

Cebu Pacific Air opened its own office in Japan last May 16 as part of the airline’s expansion efforts in the Asia-Pacific region and its bid to boost its presence in the Japanese market.

Cebu Pacific Air is one of the largest and most successful low-cost carriers (LCCs) in Asia, currently offering flights to 37 domestic and 26 international destinations across Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Guam. From Japan, travelers can easily connect to top vacation islands in the Philippines, or to other cities around Southeast Asia, Guam or Australia via Manila or Cebu.

The Cebu Pacific Air Japan branch office in Chuo-ku, Tokyo will serve as the hub for all of the airline’s activities and business transactions in Japan. Aside from business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C) transactions such as group reservation services, ticket sales and customer support, it will also drive marketing strategies and promotional activities of Cebu Pacific Air in Japan.

“Our very own branch office in Japan symbolizes the next stage of growth into the Japanese market, which has become one of the most important across our network. This is about us looking to improve our offering to the Japanese customer. We want them to experience Filipino hospitality and the wonderful destinations that we offer in the Philippines,” said Mike Szcus, chief executive adviser at Cebu Pacific Air.

Heading the Cebu Pacific Air Japan office is Tomohiko Matsumoto, who was appointed country manager for Japan in December 2017. A veteran in the travel and aviation industries with over 25 years of experience, he served as country manager and international air cargo manager for Qatar Airways and more recently, as sales and marketing manager for Japan for Tiger Air Taiwan.

“I am proud to have spearheaded the opening of the Cebu Pacific Air branch office in Japan. There is much opportunity for trade and tourism between Japan and the Philippines. Our vision is to bridge the gap between the Japanese market and Cebu Pacific Air. Cebu Pacific Air, with year-round lowcost fares, gives Japanese travelers more options and more choices. We look forward to enticing more Japanese to visit the Philippines and fly with Cebu Pacific Air,” said Matsumoto.

“In 2017, we flew over 435,000 passengers between the Philippines and Japan. Compared to the number of Japanese travelers, there is much room to grow. We want to offer a compelling travel product for the Japanese market— air service that is efficient, affordable and safe. Our Japan branch office is our commitment to invest more in Japan. We will make ticket purchase and reservations even more accessible to travelers,” said Alex Reyes, vice president for cargo of Cebu Pacific Air.