With more direct flights from Macau to destinations such as Manila slated to resume next month, The Macau Post Daily interviewed several Filipinos who expressed excitement over the prospect of being able to return home on a direct flight again.
No holiday
Jane has not had a holiday for five years. The one time, she said, she had planned on going home was for her child’s graduation, but the COVID-19 pandemic struck and caused a change in her plans. However, the 35-year-old domestic helper remains grateful that she did not leave then.
“I’m thankful that I couldn’t go home at that time as if I had been able to go home, there wouldn’t have been a source of income for me there. So, it’s alright”, she said.
With direct flights set to resume, Jane said that she was excited, pointing out that it will be much easier and quicker compared to having to go through Hong Kong, which could be “a hassle”. She also remarked that these conveniences may also benefit more Filipinos who want to visit Macau or those who want to visit the Philippines from Macau. “Macau’s source of income are tourists, so this could bring a lot”.
More travellers to Macau
Meanwhile, aside from saying how glad she would be when direct flights resume and the subsequent ease of travel, a 48 year-old domestic worker remarked on the possibility of having more tourists from the Philippines come to the city.
She added that there were a lot of Filipinos who were sent home during the pandemic, with some having since been eager to visit or even work again the city again. “I have a few friends who are planning to come to Macau again to visit and they keep asking me if there are direct flights, and I have had to keep telling them to just wait”.
Filipina Mary Ann, who is visiting Macau from Hong Kong, also commented on the ease of travel that this will bring.
The 32-year-old said: “It will be a lot better because if you have to travel from Macau to Hong Kong on to Manila and then from Manila to Hong Kong to Macau, it is a lot more difficult. She added that it is also a lot more of a “sure thing” with a flight that goes directly to the Philippines, while also noting that there is a lot for people to see in Macau.
Going home again
Having worked in Macau for 10 years and having not being able to go to the Philippines for around three years, Jonathan, 32, said that he was excited to have the chance to go back home directly from Macau.
Jonathan, who works in the hotel industry, said that what he was looking forward to the most was being able to be with family and experiencing the life and culture in the Philippines, such as the way Christmas and New Year are celebrated there, things that one may not have felt for so long. “That’s the most exciting part for me”.
Rami, a 42-year-old caregiver, expressed the same sentiment, saying that the development was “really good news” and that vacations could finally be taken again. “There won’t be a need to go to Hong Kong. It’s better to do everything from Macau. I haven’t been home since the pandemic, so that’s really good news”.
Air Asia has announced that it will relaunch its direct Macau-Manila flights on March 2, offering three return flights a week (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday), departing Manila and Macau at 4:50 p.m. and 8:10 p.m. respectively.
This handout provided by the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO) yesterday shows MGTO Director Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes (front, centre) posing with passengers aboard AirAsia’s AK186, the company’s first flight to Macau since the COVID-19 pandemic. It took off from Kuala Lumpur and arrived in Macau yesterday.
