Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Iloilo News Archive Description An account of the resource News, old and new, about Iloilo Province Subject The topic of the resource Iloilo Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Text Any textual data included in the document Iloilo-Korea direct flight could unlock tourism, trade gains for Panay – guv By Ime Sornito -Thursday, January 29, 2026 EXPLORING DIRECT AIR LINK. Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo confers with Lee Sang-hwa, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, during a courtesy visit at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol on Monday, January 26, 2026 where the possibility of establishing a direct Iloilo–South Korea flight was discussed. PHOTO FROM BALITA HALIN SA KAPITOLYO EXPLORING DIRECT AIR LINK. Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. of Iloilo confers with Lee Sang-hwa, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, during a courtesy visit at the Iloilo Provincial Capitol on Monday, January 26, 2026 where the possibility of establishing a direct Iloilo–South Korea flight was discussed. PHOTO FROM BALITA HALIN SA KAPITOLYO ILOILO – The long-standing push for a direct air link between Iloilo and South Korea is back on the table, with Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. raising the proposal anew during a courtesy visit by the ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, Lee Sang-hwa. Defensor said a direct Iloilo–Seoul flight would significantly boost tourism and trade not only for Iloilo City and Iloilo province but for the entire Panay Island, citing the steady flow of Korean visitors to Western Visayas — particularly to Boracay Island — and the growing Korean community based in Iloilo. According to the governor, there are currently around 500 Korean nationals living in Iloilo. Defensor stressed that the proposed Iloilo–South Korea route remains a priority regional connectivity project that had already gained traction before being shelved during the COVID-19 pandemic. The push for a direct flight is also being supported by the Department of Tourism (DOT). Even before, Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez, regional director of DOT in Western Visayas, had been advocating for direct international flights from Iloilo to Korea, as well as to Taiwan and Japan, to attract more foreign tourists to the region. “We are hoping to have more international direct flights to and from Iloilo,” Rodriguez said in an interview last year during the resumption of flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok, Thailand. DOT data showed Western Visayas recorded 5,909,568 tourist arrivals in 2024, a 10.25 percent increase from 2023 and slightly higher than the 5.8 million arrivals logged in 2019. These arrivals generated an estimated P74 billion in visitor receipts, with P10.96 billion coming from foreign and overseas Filipino tourists. Aklan accounted for the biggest share with 2,202,023 tourists and P42.93 billion in receipts, followed by Iloilo City with 1,001,028 tourists and P9.40 billion. Iloilo province recorded 358,475 tourists and P3.94 billion in receipts, while Antique, Capiz, and Guimaras posted more modest but steadily growing figures. “These figures reflect the growing tourism industry in Western Visayas and the region’s potential to attract more international visitors in the years ahead,” Rodriguez said. At present, Iloilo International Airport serves daily domestic flights to Cagayan de Oro, Cebu, Clark, Davao, General Santos, Manila, Puerto Princesa, Tagbilaran (Bohol), Legazpi, and Dumaguete, with Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, and AirAsia operating at the airport./PN Citation Citation of the article Sornito, I. [ 2026, January 29 ]. Iloilo-Korea direct flight could unlock tourism, trade gains for Panay – guv. Panay News, 3&15. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Iloilo-Korea direct flight could unlock tourism, trade gains for Panay – guv Description An account of the resource ILOILO – The long-standing push for a direct air link between Iloilo and South Korea is back on the table, with Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. raising the proposal anew during a courtesy visit by the ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Philippines, Lee Sang-hwa. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sornito, Ime Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived <a href="https://www.panaynews.net/iloilo-korea-direct-flight-could-unlock-tourism-trade-gains-for-panay-guv/" title="Panay News" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.panaynews.net/iloilo-korea-direct-flight-could-unlock-tourism-trade-gains-for-panay-guv/</a> Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Panay News Incorporated Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource January 29, 2026 Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Article Subject The topic of the resource Flights around the world Arthur R. Defensor Jr.