Borongan City, Eastern Samar, recorded 85,000 tourist arrivals from January to September 2024, surpassing the total for the entire year of 2019. According to Rupert Ambil, the city’s flight operations chair and officer-in-charge for tourism, this marks the highest number of visitors since 2017.
Ambil credited the increase to the resumption of Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights, which restarted in December 2022. Initially operating twice a week, PAL increased its Borongan service to three times a week in September 2024, also adding cargo shipments to the route.
The airline has been key in transporting passengers for major events in the city, including the Philippine Kiteboarding Tour, Padul-ong Festival, and Miss Philippines Earth Beachwear Competition.
On the third anniversary of PAL’s Borongan operation in December, the city government and the airline renewed their partnership through a memorandum of agreement, further solidifying the airline’s role in boosting tourism and connectivity for both locals and tourists.
