The Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) has welcomed the launch of three new direct air routes between China and Manila in May 2026, as the government seeks to strengthen connectivity and accelerate recovery in the Chinese tourism market.
The new services include Qingdao Airlines’ Changsha–Manila route, launched on May 16th, and two XiamenAir routes connecting Chongqing and Hangzhou with Manila on May 21st and May 20th, respectively. The DOT said the expanded connectivity supports the government’s broader tourism recovery strategy under the National Tourism Development Plan 2023–2028.
Tourism Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay said the additional direct services reflect efforts to restore air links from China, although seat capacity remains at only around half of 2019 levels.
“Visitor arrivals from China have already posted the strongest growth among our major source markets this year,” Angara-Mathay said, adding that the challenge now lies in converting demand into travel through “sufficient, reliable, and commercially sustainable access.”
The Hangzhou–Manila service operates four times weekly through October 31st, 2026. The inaugural inbound flight carried 76 passengers, while the outbound service departed with 122 passengers onboard. The Changsha route operates three times weekly through October 24th, 2026, while the Chongqing service runs three times weekly through October 31st, 2026.
From January 1st to May 19th, 2026, the Philippines recorded 7,779,012 international inbound air seats, up 8.31 percent year-on-year, and 30,729 international flight arrivals, up 4.71 percent. China accounted for 4.56 percent of total visitor arrivals to the Philippines in 2025.
