MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Tourism (DoT) welcomes the announcement by French Ambassador to the Philippines Marie Fontanel of the resumption of direct flights between France and the Philippines via Air France's Paris-Manila nonstop service beginning in December to improve travel convenience and connectivity to Europe. "We are grateful to Air France for its confidence in the Philippines, and we are eager to showcase the best of what our country has to offer via this new gateway," Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco said in a statement on Wednesday. France has the second-greatest number of visitor arrivals from the European Union, and this direct connection will give exceptional ease for passengers, boosting tourism and making it more convenient to travel to the Philippines. "We are optimistic that this will pave the way for further expansion of direct flights to other key European destinations in the near future," Frasco said.