The Philippines Government is set to upgrade 12 airports across the country in a move to improve tourism by attracting 10 million foreign tourists by 2016.

Three of the planned airport projects will require an investment of about PHP54.6bn ($1.2bn), with cost of the other airports yet to be finalised.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center of the Philippines executive director Cosette Canilao suggested that half of the planned projects will be carried out through the PPP scheme.

"Upgrades will ease our logistic costs."

The operations and maintenance of the airports could be bundled into one tender, which will be floated later this year, Canilao added.

According to transportation undersecretary Rene Limcaoco, the government has considered building a new terminal for the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila.

Limcaoco said that the upgrades would "ease our logistic costs, alleviate our traffic congestion and support the target of the department of tourism to achieve its 10 million tourists for 2016".

GlobalData Strategic Intelligence

US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?

Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.

By GlobalData

Other projects to be upgraded include the Puerto Princesa Airport on Palawan island, southwest of Manila; and Clark International Airport in Pampanga, located north of the city.

Limcaoco said that the planned upgrade projects will help reduce logistic costs, ease traffic congestion, while helping department of tourism to achieve its target of 10 million tourists by 2016.

Acoording to state data, the Philippines attracted 4.7 million foreign tourists in 2013; 300,000 less than its target.

Airport Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Airport Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
OPS1 by TADERA has won the 2025 Product Launch Award in the Safety and Efficiency category for transforming how airports manage operations and safety. Learn how this integrated, GIS driven platform simplifies inspections, maintenance, and SMS compliance while turning operational data into real time, actionable intelligence.

Discover the Impact