A Welcome Treat for Travel, Tourism
Almost unnoticed, but very much welcomed by local residents and officialdom,
On that day, little-known Zest Airways made waves in the tourism scene when one of its aircrafts, carrying some 170 Korean tourists landed at the Bacolod-Silay Airport of international standard, on Flight Z2 8053 from Incheon, South Korea, departing from that point at 8:30 a.m. on a maiden voyage towards Silay City, arriving here at 11:30 a.m. or a three-hour direct flight that made history for this relatively new point of destination, now considered a welcome development in local travel and tourism industry.
What maybe considered highly significant about this Korean flight is the fact that the inaugural international flight has opened a bright prospect for several more flights here, taking into account the fact that Koreans, notably students enrolled in some colleges and universities in this city, have lately been increasing through the years, and this time, the new batch are more or less the professional types, whose main interest is, among others, to play golf and explore other attractions of interest to most of them.
One can just imagine the multiplier effects when these visitors would start spreading the word on the many unexplored beauty and potentials for tourism here, plus the lure of our natural attractions that would truly appeal to these lovers of nature and curiousity-seekers among them, whose penchant for the unique and heretofore “untouched and unexposed” sceneries are brought to the open.
It really augurs well for Negros Occidental to intensify its massive face-lifting efforts and overall cleanliness drive starting from the airport terminal itself to its premises and surrounding areas, including the highways and access roads to make travel facilities easily accessible and pleasant for the general public. Such efforts must not only be for show but an honest-to-goodness desire among our people to make the travellers stay pleasant and enjoyable, not just as a passing glance but as a lasting, driving force of habit, a way of life.
As the New Year 2012 ushers in, and with the newly-installed OIC of the Bacolod-Silay Airport in the person of Ma. Mecine Torres-Reyes, whose determination to cleanup and insure safety at the local airport, there’s a bright hope that very soon, it’s real status as an airport of international class can be attained more fully.
Another thing, the full support of local government leaders, notably Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. and Silay City Mayor Jose “Oti” Montelibano for the development and streamlining of this “neophyte” airfield, can easily be achieved.
“Keep Smiling,” which could be synonymous with Bacolod’s “City of Smiles” monicker, could very well be the new image that this airport may assume, considering that no less than the governor himself had impressed upon the new airport OIC “to insure that the employees therein are smiling in their work, which are vital factors to attract domestic and foreign tourists to keep coming back.” Those who pout, which could be misconstrued as “arrogance or an indication of indifference to the plight of travellers or tourists,” the governor steressed, should be fired or replaced.
Ms. Reyes, who used to head the Caticlan Airport in Aklan, the gateway to the
world-famous Boracay Island, lost no time in launching a no-nonsense cleanup
drive in the Bacolod-Silay Airport, to include the comfort rooms, adoption of
proper security measures and soon to install a radar as part of the upgrading
efforts here, are things to look forward to.
Indeed, all seems to be looking up for this airport of international standard,
and there’s good reason to believe that more and more flights from other parts
of the world will be forthcoming, such as the one being applied for by a still
unnamed airline, that soon would carry passengers from Silay City to Singapore.
In the meantime, let’s extend warm welcome to the first batch of Koreans and
tourists from all over the world. It’s more fun in Negros! And the Philippnes,
of course!*
