Xiamen Airlines is set to resume direct flights between Cebu in the central Philippines and Quanzhou in China’s Fujian province starting March 29, signaling a cautious yet meaningful rebound in China–Philippines air connectivity and tourism flows. The twice-weekly service will reconnect two coastal hubs with deep historical ties and growing commercial links at a time when regional carriers are still grappling with uneven demand on China routes and delicate bilateral relations between Manila and Beijing.

Details of the Resumed Cebu–Quanzhou Service

According to an announcement relayed by the Chinese Embassy in Manila and Philippine officials, Xiamen Airlines will restart nonstop flights between Quanzhou and Cebu on March 29, operating twice weekly. Initial services are planned on Tuesdays and Saturdays, creating a regular corridor for leisure travelers, overseas Chinese communities, and business passengers moving between Fujian and the Visayas. The schedule is expected to be calibrated in line with demand, with the possibility of additional frequencies if load factors improve.

The route will connect Quanzhou’s Jinjiang airport with Mactan–Cebu International Airport, the Philippines’ second-busiest gateway and a strategic hub for both domestic and international tourism. Flight timings have not yet been widely publicized, but aviation sources indicate that the operation is designed to provide convenient daytime departures and arrivals, minimizing layovers and enabling onward connections within both countries. Xiamen Airlines, a Fujian-based carrier with a predominantly Boeing narrowbody fleet supplemented by new Airbus A321neos, is expected to deploy single-aisle aircraft configured for regional services.

Although Cebu and Fujian have been linked by various direct routes in the pre-pandemic era, many of these services were suspended during the prolonged border closures and have only been partially restored. The decision to single out Cebu–Quanzhou as one of the early resumptions underscores the strategic importance of Fujian’s diaspora ties with the Philippines and the pent-up interest in leisure and heritage travel between the two coastal regions.

Boost to China–Philippines Tourism Recovery

The restart of the Cebu–Quanzhou flights comes after several years of subdued Chinese arrivals to the Philippines. Before the pandemic, China was the country’s second-largest source market, with more than 1.7 million Chinese visitors recorded in 2019. Arrivals have since lagged well below those pre-2020 levels, constrained by slow outbound recovery from China, evolving visa requirements, and wider geopolitical uncertainties. In 2023, Chinese visitor numbers were only a fraction of what they had been, highlighting the scale of the gap that tourism stakeholders are eager to close.

Philippine tourism officials have consistently emphasized that air connectivity is the crucial missing link in reactivating the mainland Chinese market. Hotel and resort associations in Cebu, for instance, have openly called for the restoration of direct China–Cebu flights, arguing that many properties have the capacity and readiness to host Chinese guests but lack convenient flight options to channel them to the island. With Xiamen Airlines now stepping back into the market, industry players see a concrete signal that Chinese carriers are once again willing to test demand beyond Manila.

Direct flights from Fujian also align neatly with trends in Chinese outbound tourism. Travelers from second-tier coastal cities are increasingly seeking regional leisure destinations within a few hours’ flying time, where they can enjoy beaches, diving, and shopping alongside cultural and religious heritage sites. Cebu, with its established infrastructure, resort inventory, and reputation for marine tourism, ticks many of these boxes. The revival of the Cebu–Quanzhou route is therefore expected to deliver incremental gains in package tours, free-and-easy travel, and small business traffic.

Cebu’s Position as a Regional Gateway

Cebu has long marketed itself as a natural gateway for international travelers exploring the central and southern Philippines. Mactan–Cebu International Airport serves as a hub for domestic connections to island destinations such as Bohol, Siargao, and Dumaguete, as well as to major cities in Mindanao. For Chinese tourists arriving from Quanzhou, this means they can effectively bypass Manila and connect directly into a web of secondary destinations that might otherwise require an additional domestic transfer from the capital.

The new service also strengthens Cebu’s positioning in bidirectional travel. Cebuano residents, overseas Filipino Chinese, and business travelers based in the Visayas will gain direct access to Fujian, one of China’s most dynamic coastal provinces and a key origin region for many members of the Filipino–Chinese community. This is expected to benefit not just tourism but also family visits, educational exchanges, and small-scale trade, given Fujian’s role in manufacturing and export-oriented industries.

Local tourism and business groups in Cebu have argued that more direct links to China are essential to sustaining the island’s post-pandemic recovery. While flights from other markets such as Korea and Japan have bounced back more rapidly, connectivity to mainland China has remained patchier and more Manila-centric. Xiamen Airlines’ decision to return to Cebu with a route anchored in Quanzhou represents a step toward a more diversified route network that better supports Cebu’s ambitions as a regional aviation and tourism hub.

The choice of Quanzhou is not just a matter of commercial logic but also of cultural resonance. A large proportion of the Filipino–Chinese community traces its roots to Fujian, particularly to cities such as Quanzhou and Xiamen. Historical maritime trade across the South China Sea and long-standing clan networks have created intricate ties that predate the modern nation-state and continue to underpin contemporary family and business relationships.

Chinese officials, including the ambassador to the Philippines, have framed the reopening of direct Fujian–Cebu flights as part of broader efforts to promote people-to-people exchanges. Reestablishing air bridges, they argue, helps facilitate visits by overseas Chinese who wish to explore ancestral hometowns, attend clan gatherings, or invest in local enterprises. On the Philippine side, there is hope that the route will make it easier for cultural delegations, student groups, and tourism stakeholders to organize two-way exchanges, festivals, and heritage tours that highlight shared history.

For travelers, this translates into more than just another flight option. The Cebu–Quanzhou service opens opportunities for themed itineraries that combine beach holidays with heritage exploration, temple visits, or culinary tours across two coastal regions. As demand matures, tour operators may introduce packages that showcase Fujian’s historic ports alongside Cebu’s colonial landmarks and natural attractions, deepening mutual understanding and broadening the tourism product beyond sun and sand.

The resumption of the Cebu–Quanzhou route is particularly notable given the broader context of reduced China capacity among Philippine carriers. Over the past year and a half, several Philippine airlines have trimmed or suspended flights to mainland China, citing soft demand, changing traveler preferences, and the impact of geopolitical frictions on visa processing and travel sentiment. Services on some Manila–China routes, including to major cities such as Beijing and Guangzhou, have been scaled back or delayed in their return to pre-pandemic schedules.

Foreign carriers have been more selective about where to deploy capacity, choosing city pairs where there is a clearer case for sustained demand. In this environment, Xiamen Airlines’ move stands out as a targeted bet that certain Fujian–Philippines links retain strong underlying potential despite the overall caution. The airline has already demonstrated a willingness to invest in the market, having launched and expanded routes such as Chongqing–Manila via Quanzhou, and historically operating services connecting multiple Philippine cities with Fujian.

This dual reality of capacity cuts on some corridors and selective expansion on others underscores how nuanced the post-pandemic recovery remains. The China–Philippines market is not rebounding in a uniform way. Instead, airlines are probing for “pockets of strength” based on diaspora ties, tourism appeal, and local government support. Cebu–Quanzhou appears to fit that pattern, benefiting from heritage links, a clearly defined leisure proposition, and official backing from both sides aimed at stabilizing broader bilateral relations.

Implications for Travelers and Tour Operators

For individual travelers, the return of direct Cebu–Quanzhou flights simplifies journey planning. Those based in Fujian will be able to fly straight into Cebu without transiting via Xiamen, Guangzhou, or Manila, cutting travel time and minimizing the complexity of ticketing and baggage handling. This is especially appealing for group tours and families traveling with children or elderly members, where seamless point-to-point connections can significantly enhance the overall experience.

Tour operators in both countries are expected to respond quickly, updating itineraries and negotiating allotments and seat blocks with Xiamen Airlines. Many agencies in China had previously pivoted toward domestic destinations and nearby markets such as Southeast Asian beach hubs accessible from coastal Chinese cities. The reactivation of the Cebu–Quanzhou corridor gives them an additional product to promote, especially during peak holiday periods and school breaks when travelers seek short-haul international escapes.

On the Philippine side, resorts, diving centers, and shopping outlets that once relied heavily on Chinese clientele have been working to rebalance their markets toward Korea, Japan, and Western visitors. The revived Fujian link offers a chance to restore some of that lost segment, though industry players stress that expectations must be realistic. Given the cautious pace of China’s outbound rebound and the competitive landscape in the region, most hoteliers anticipate a gradual buildup rather than an immediate surge. Still, even incremental gains can make a difference in shoulder seasons when occupancy rates are more fragile.

Government Support and Diplomatic Context

The timing of the announcement highlights the role of government diplomacy in shaping aviation links. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has welcomed the opening of direct Fujian–Cebu flights, framing them as a tool to deepen economic and cultural exchanges with China while also emphasizing the need for cooperative law enforcement and safer people-to-people interactions. Chinese officials, in turn, have presented the move as part of broader efforts to foster practical cooperation and stabilize ties amid ongoing maritime disputes and political rhetoric.

For both sides, aviation connectivity offers a relatively tangible and positive story in a relationship that has often been dominated by security-centric narratives. Each new or restored route provides a platform for messaging around friendship, mutual benefit, and grassroots-level engagement. It also creates channels through which local governments, chambers of commerce, and cultural organizations can pursue their own agendas of cooperation, somewhat insulated from the broader geopolitical headwinds.

However, the political backdrop cannot be entirely separated from the travel equation. Geopolitical tensions have already been cited by aviation analysts and tourism officials as one factor dampening Chinese demand for the Philippines, on top of macroeconomic pressures and evolving consumer preferences. In that sense, the success of the Cebu–Quanzhou route will depend not only on marketing and pricing but also on whether the broader climate remains stable enough for travelers to feel comfortable choosing the Philippines over competing destinations.

Outlook: A Test Case for Deeper Connectivity

The resumption of Xiamen Airlines’ Cebu–Quanzhou direct flights on March 29 can be viewed as a test case for the next phase of China–Philippines air connectivity. If the twice-weekly services achieve healthy load factors and deliver consistent yields, the airline may consider adding more frequencies or exploring other city pairs that tap into complementary strengths, such as linking Fujian with secondary Philippine gateways or developing triangular routes that serve multiple markets in a single rotation.

For the Philippines, the route will serve as a barometer of how quickly Chinese travelers are willing to return in greater numbers, and whether demand can be nurtured beyond traditional hubs like Manila and Boracay. Success in Cebu could encourage more aggressive marketing in Chinese cities with strong Filipino–Chinese communities, as well as deeper collaboration between tourism boards, airport authorities, and private sector stakeholders on both sides of the South China Sea.

In the broader regional context, Cebu–Quanzhou’s reopening joins a growing list of restored and new routes underscoring the shift from pandemic-era survival to long-term network optimization. While the path to full recovery remains uneven, each revived link represents a concrete step toward reknitting the web of connections that underpin Asia’s tourism and trade. For travelers eyeing cultural discovery and coastal escapes, and for businesses betting on renewed cross-border flows, Xiamen Airlines’ decision to return to Cebu from Quanzhou is an encouraging sign that the skies between China and the Philippines are slowly but surely opening again.