24/08/2026
BETTING ON CEBU
Passenger traffic at Mactan-Cebu International Airport grew by around 9 percent in the first half of the year, handling 6,467,538 passengers, despite the increasingly competitive environment for international tourism and aviation in Southeast Asia.
That competition is important.
Cebu is no longer competing only with other destinations in the Philippines. It is competing for tourists with established regional gateways and destinations in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Kuala Lumpur and other cities are constantly improving their connectivity, infrastructure and tourism offerings to capture a larger share of the region's travelers.
This is where MCIA becomes particularly important.
An airport is not just a place where people arrive and leave. For a tourism destination, the airport is part of the destination's brand.
MCIA has increasingly become part of Cebu's identity.
Its design, passenger experience, international connectivity, service standards and growing list of recognitions have helped project an image of Cebu that goes beyond beaches and tourism attractions. It presents Cebu as a modern, internationally connected and competitive Philippine hub.
The private sector's role in this transformation should not be overlooked.
MCIA is a compelling example of what a well-executed public-private partnership can achieve. The government retains an important role, but private management has brought investment, operational expertise, innovation and a stronger customer-oriented approach.
It shows that PPPs do not have to be viewed merely as infrastructure financing arrangements. Done properly, they can create institutions that contribute to a city's broader economic and tourism ambitions.
And perhaps this is where we should start looking at MCIA differently.
It should not only be regarded as Cebu's airport. It should be regarded as one of the country's strategic gateways.
For years, Manila has understandably remained the Philippines' principal aviation hub. That is unlikely to change overnight, nor should it necessarily.
But the country's continued dependence on a single dominant gateway also presents an opportunity.
Cebu is strategically positioned in the center of the country. It is closer to many destinations in the Visayas and Mindanao and has the potential to distribute international travelers more efficiently into other parts of the Philippines.
MCIA therefore deserves serious consideration as a primary gateway, or at the very least, as a stronger alternative gateway, to Manila.
The airport has already demonstrated that it can handle international traffic, attract airlines, improve passenger experience and compete for recognition on the global stage.
It is also continuously improving.
That should give airlines more reason to look at Cebu.
There is enormous potential for more direct international routes, not only to traditional markets but also to emerging destinations. More flights mean more tourists, more business travelers, more investment opportunities and more connectivity for Filipinos in the Visayas and Mindanao.
The challenge now is to make sure that the airport's success is matched by stronger connectivity.
Airlines might ask: What more can Cebu offer if we give it more flights?
The answer is quite a lot.
Cebu already has the tourism infrastructure, a strong domestic market, an internationally recognized airport, a strategic geographic location and a private operator that has demonstrated its ability to continuously improve the facility.
What it needs is greater connectivity to unlock even more of that potential.
This is why the success of MCIA should not end with awards.
Awards are important. They validate the progress that has been made. But the bigger achievement is what those improvements can mean for Cebu and the country.
MCIA has shown what a successful PPP can look like.
It has shown that a Philippine airport can become a tourism brand.
It has shown that Cebu can operate and compete on an international standard.
And perhaps most importantly, it has shown that the Philippines does not have to depend entirely on Manila to connect itself to the world.
Cebu is ready for more.
MCIA is ready for more.
Now, perhaps, it is time for the airlines, the national government and the tourism industry to think bigger about what Cebu can become, not merely as another Philippine destination, but as one of Southeast Asia's gateways to the Philippines.
The potential is already there.
We just need to connect more of the world to it. | via Carl Ong
