MANILA – The much-anticipated direct flights between India and the Philippines are expected to start this year.
At the Indian Republic Day reception in Taguig City on Monday, Indian Ambassador to the Philippines Shri Harsh Kumar Jain hinted that people-to-people contacts are “poised to grow more” with the “likely commencement of direct flights between the two countries in the next few months.” India’s flag carrier Air India and IndiGo are being eyed to cater the non-stop flights.
This development comes as Manila rolls out new measures to tap into Indian outbound tourism, recalibrating to meet targets amid a decline in Chinese arrivals. The Philippines previously launched the e-Visa system for Indian nationals and is also working on an action plan specific to India-Philippines tourism relations.
In the same event, Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco mentioned that flights between Manila and New Delhi are indeed possible “within the year,” based on the direction negotiations between relevant agencies are currently going. She added, “But what the Department of Tourism is also advocating are not just flights to Manila, but flights direct to our other destinations that include Cebu and Clark.”
Frasco emphasized the importance of the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences, and exhibitions) sector, positioning the Philippines as a prime destination for Indian travelers. She highlighted, “The MICE capacity of our island destinations are actually ideal for these types of events. And the beauty of our destinations is napaka-diversified ng tourism offering natin at napaka-family friendly (they have diversified tourism offerings and are family-friendly).”
Meanwhile, the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) is also increasing its engagements with Indian stakeholders in the Philippines to boost market promotions. TPB Chief Operating Officer Maria Margarita Nograles said, “We are looking now at India and we are working closely together. At the TPB, we have a number of trade shows and business missions in India, and we are working closely with the Indian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines.”
In 2024, around 79,000 Indian visitors traveled to the Philippines, marking over a 12 percent growth compared to the previous year, though still fewer than the numbers recorded by neighboring Southeast Asian states. ASEAN data shows more than 4.2 million Indians traveled to Southeast Asia alone in 2024.
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