Melo Villareal
World’s First “Resort Airport”, Soon to Rise in Cebu, Philippines this Feb 2018
Good news for all frequent flyers, travelers, and vacationers out there: After five months of delaying, the construction of Mactan-Cebu International Airport’s (MCIA) new terminal finally started last June 30. And what’s so special about this new terminal is that once it finishes this February 2018, it will be the world’s First Resort Airport.
Mactan Cebu Airport Resort – Photo from Mactan-Cebu Airport Facebook page
The one-minute promotional video of the world’s soon-to-be First Resort Airport stated that the airport will “feel like a resort” and that it’s “not just a gateway; it’s a destination”. Moreover, the airport will instill a policy that sees flyers as not mere “passengers”, but as “guests”, definitely mimicking the policies of an actual resort.
The new terminal is being constructed in the Philippines, in Mactan, Cebu’s MCIA, the second busiest airport in the country, and the gateway to tourist destinations in Philippines islands Visayas and Mindanao. The ongoing airport construction is led by GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), and is the government’s first public-private partnership (PPP) airport project.
Airport Resort in Cebu City photo from GMR Megawide Facebook
A lot is being expected from this ongoing construction, and the Philippines’ Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya said that “It is clear to us that GMCAC brings international expertise into running an airport. Immediately it has already made substantial improvements without making structural works yet. What it will do now that we are breaking ground is exciting for us, and especially for travelers to and from Cebu.”
The new terminal is expected to add about 8 million additional passengers and tourists to the country’s current 4.5 million passenger capacity. Come 2018, the passenger capacity of the country will hopefully reach a promising 12.5 million.
Youtube Video of Proposed design of GMR- Megawide for Mactan Cebu International Airport Expansion – Cebu Airport Resort
Abaya, however, sees the expected improvement in the passenger capacity of the country as something more than a boost in the travel sector. The secretary also sees it as a nationwide benefit: “It will not only cement our place on the global map as a major tourist and business destination, it will [also] boost the local economy and is projected to generate jobs especially in Cebu.”
In fact, the promotional video not only promotes the soon-to-be completed airport, it also promotes the province of Cebu. The video shows Cebu’s monument of one of the national heroes Lapu Lapu, its famous Lechon, and its world-renowned Sinulog Festival that attracts tourists not just from the country but also from all over the world.
The development staff suggests that soon-to-be customers and vacationers who will choose to use the world’s First Resort Airport arrive hours earlier before their own respective flights, or stay longer after their arrivals, “four hours earlier or later”, to make the most out of the airport’s resort-like amenities.
Frequent flyers will expect the following facilities once the new terminal finishes this 2018: centralized security check system, additional immigration counters for faster processing transactions, additional self-service kiosks for convenience, LED lighting, redesigned seating patterns, and many more. The list of what more to expect from this ongoing development is also currently underway.
