Improving Davao’s connectivity
On Sunday, October 28, 2018, we saw two events that would boost the connectivity of Davao City -- the inauguration of Cathay Daragon’s Hong Kong-Davao route and the Davao-Manila sea route of 2Go.
Cathay will be operating four-times weekly flights between Davao City and Hong Kong utilizing an Airbus A320 aircraft.
This is the first flight route between Davao City and an East Asian destination. A couple of years back, Xiamen Airlines conducted an exploratory flight between Xiamen, China and Davao City in 2016 but it never came to fruition.
The launching of the flight is also in time with the inauguration of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Davao City.
With the increasing bilateral relations between the city and China, it is just about time that a direct flight is launched. This is seen to not only boost the arrivals of foreign tourists but also seen to bring in more investments as Chinese investors can come directly to Davao City.
Meanwhile, the sea route between Manila and Davao will provide a cheaper alternative to travellers on a budget. However, the sea route not only links Davao and Manila but it will also have stop overs in General Santos City, Zamboanga City, and Iloilo City. This will help boost domestic tourism and at the same time provide an avenue for local businesses to improve their linkages with other cities.
However, there are questions that linger in our minds, especially on its sustainability. How will both routes be sustained? Is it enough for Cathay Dragon to probably bank on the OFW market? Will the growing interest of Chinese investors help sustain this flight? For the sea route, how will it be sustained considering that when it comes to to the travelling time, it will be much longer?
While these flights will boost Davao City’s connectivity, it is also important that these will be sustained. The business and tourism sectors might have to up their promotions game to ensure their traffic between destinations.
The sustainability of these routes will also bode well for Davao City. When other logistics companies see this, they might also be launching their own respective routes between Davao City and their hubs.