Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is positioning itself at the forefront of a potential rebound in Chinese tourism as the Philippine government rolls out visa-free entry for Chinese nationals at select gateways, including Cebu.
Under the new policy, Chinese travelers may enter the Philippines visa-free for up to 14 days for tourism and business, a move aimed at reviving inbound travel and deepening people-to-people ties. Industry players expect the measure to unlock pent-up demand, with MCIA emerging as a key beneficiary.
As the country’s second-busiest airport, MCIA is leveraging its role as a regional hub to channel international arrivals directly to domestic destinations. Its growing air-to-air network allows travelers landing in Cebu to connect seamlessly to key tourist and business centers across the Visayas and Mindanao—an advantage expected to resonate strongly with Chinese visitors seeking multi-destination itineraries.
Central to this strategy is CEB Connects, MCIA’s flagship transfer service, which reduces connection times to as fast as 60 minutes for international flights and 35 minutes for domestic connections. The airport is also preparing for the rollout of CEB+, an integrated airport-to-seaport program that will allow passengers to transition smoothly from air travel to sea routes, opening access to nearby island destinations.
“Improving connectivity allows travelers arriving in Cebu to move more efficiently to other parts of the country, whether by air or sea,” said Rafael M. Aboitiz, vice president and head of Airports at Aboitiz InfraCapital. “These initiatives are designed to support tourism growth while helping distribute visitor traffic across the regions.”
Department of Tourism data show that 262,144 Chinese tourists visited the Philippines last year out of 5.6 million total arrivals. With visa-free entry now in place, that number is expected to climb.
From Cebu, travelers can easily reach Bohol via fast ferry or Northern Mindanao through Laguindingan International Airport.
For MCIA, the policy shift strengthens its role as a gateway—not just to Cebu, but to the wider Philippine archipelago.
