With the expected influx of tourists and balikbayans for the fiesta month of May, both the airline and the shipping industries are responding to the demand for more seats in order to bring convenience in the riding public.
The increasing number of passengers getting through Cebu as the regional hub is filling up by 100% the seats of a total of 14 trips daily to and from Cebu City. The earliest trip from Cebu leaves at 5:50am (Weesam) while the last trip leaves at 7:40pm (2GO).
Ocean Jet is getting the chunk of the passengers with their seven trips, leaving Cebu to Tagbilaran at 6:00am, 8:00am, 9:20am, 11:40am, 2:00pm, 4:20pm and 6:35pm while 2GO has four trips, leaving Cebu City at 7:00am, 8:45am, 1:45pm and 7:40pm.
Weesam’s three trips departs Cebu City at 5:50am, 11:00am and 3:30pm.
These 14 trips of fast crafts still exclude the trips of the traditional slow boats of Lite Shipping and Cokaliong Shipping and the several boat trips in other busy ports as Tubigon, Jagna, Ubay and Getafe.
Meanwhile, there are 10 daily flights from Manila this fiesta month of May.
Cebu Pacific has four flights departing Manila at 6:00am, 8:25am, 10:10am and 1:00pm. Air Asia has three flights departing Manila at 7:30am, 11:20am and 1:40pm. Philippine Airlines flights leave Manila at 5:20am, 9:20am and 2:00pm.
These numerous flights and boat trips are bringing thousands of fiesta visitors as well as tourists and businessmen as well.
With the heavy influx of visitors, the land transportation industry increased deployment of trips to the 47 municipalities in the province.
The entry of Southern Star (Ceres Lines) is fielding 150 trips daily from the City Integrated Bus Terminal (IBT) giving the Boholanos an almost 24-hour service. The Bacolod based bus company has 118 buses in the province.