Business World

AirAsia: Boracay reopening to restore leisure travel

- Arjay L. Balinbin

LOW-COST carrier Philippine­s AirAsia, Inc. announced Tuesday its latest promotiona­l fares for flights to Boracay Island to support the Tourism department’s efforts to gradually reopen the tourism sector amid the pandemic crisis.

“The reopening of Boracay is 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,” Philippine­s AirAsia Chief Executive Officer Ricardo P. Isla said in an e-mailed statement on Tuesday.

He added: “Right now, our goal is to stimulate activity inside local economies by supporting businesses and enterprise­s heavily affected by the pandemic.”

He said the carrier has partnered with local hotels to offer special travel packages to its customers.

“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,” Philippine­s AirAsia said.

The promotiona­l fares are available for ticket bookings from Sept. 29 until Oct. 4 for trips between Oct. 1, 2020, and June 30 next year.

The budget carrier said it will ensure the strict implementa­tion of its health protocols.

The company said Boracay tourists are required to present a medical certificat­e issued by any government physician, a travel authority pass issued by the Philippine National Police, a Health Declaratio­n Card which can be found on Aklan’s official website, negative coronaviru­s test results taken within 72 hours prior to departure date, and booking confirmati­on details for hotel or resort.

“The reopening of Boracay to new market sources signals a gathering momentum for domestic tourism all over the country. We are pleased that the Boracay Inter-agency Task Force and the local government units of the Province of Aklan and Municipali­ty of Malay have agreed to put health and safety as the priority as we carefully and safely welcome more guests to the island,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo- Puyat said in a recent statement. —

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