MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Airlines (PAL) is beefing up its international tourism promotion efforts for Cebu as the latter remains on top of its list of local destinations.

In a press briefing, PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna revealed that the airline is fully committed to sell Cebu in its 26 international destinations, including selected points in its domestic network.

Glenn Vallecera, PAL AVP-Visayas Sales, revealed the resiliency of Cebu to various challenges. “Cebu continues to enjoy positive load factors despite the recent tsunami in Japan and other natural calamities. In fact, even during the height of PAL’s spin off/outsourcing program, flights to Cebu were largely unaffected with load factors of more than 80 percent,” he said.

To jumpstart the tourist promotion campaign, PAL flew in eight candidates of the Miss Earth Pageant to visit and document some of Cebu’s best tourist attractions. The group’s photos and videos will be featured in PAL’s promo materials for distribution abroad, particularly the United States, Canada and Asia.