Tarabitab- All About Ilocos, Pangasinan and Baguio City Philippines

Hongkong flights to Laoag cancelled beginning today

August 26th, 2010 | Author: Cristina Arzadon

Laoag City (26 August) – The aftermath of the Manila hostage taking has began to be felt in the city with the indefinite suspension of flights from Hongkong to Laoag and vice versa beginning today.

Milagros Gonzales, provincial tourism officer, confirmed that twice weekly flights from Hongkong to this city and vice versa have been suspended indefinitely.

“We were informed that all bookings in two major hotels in the city have been cancelled since Tuesday,” she said.

Ronal Estabillo, manager of the Laoag International Airport, said he got a letter from executives of the Hongkong Express Flights notifying him of the suspension of the twice weekly flights to Laoag.

Estabillo said there was no mention of the reason behind the suspension as it was a standard procedure for operators to suspend flights without stating the cause.

He said, however, that the last flight coming from Hongkong today is set to arrive as scheduled to transport back the remaining Hongkong nationals who visited the city last Sunday.

Gonzales said the city’s tourism industry is bound to feel the impact of reduced number of tourists because of the flight cancellation.

She said Hongkong tourists have been steadily coming to Laoag before the Manila bloodbath. At least 1,200 Hongkong nationals visit the city monthly for rest and recreation purposes.

Gonzales said the only other international flight from Kaoshiung, Taiwan to Laoag is expected to be cancelled as well in response to the travel ban imposed by Chinese authorities to the Philippines. Around 200 Taiwanese nationals visit the city on a monthly basis.

“We hope to bring back these tourists in the coming days when the anguish over the tragedy has died down,” she said. (PIA Ilocos Norte)