More Filipinos visit Taipei

MANILA, Philippines — The increase in Filipino tourists visiting Taiwan is also seen to mutually benefit the Philippine tourism sector, the director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) said.

“I think it works both ways. The more Filipinos visit Taiwan, then they invite friends to come here and they also introduce the beauty of the Philippines to Taiwanese people,” TECO Manila director Jerry Chuang said.

Last year, about 419,000 Filipino tourists visited Taiwan, an estimated 44 percent increase from the year before, due to the visa-free entry policy for Filipinos that will expire in July.

Chuang said the growth of Filipino tourists visiting Taiwan has also led  to the rise in Taiwanese tourists in the Philippines.

“Now a days so many Taiwanese visitors visiting the Philippines,” Chuang said.

A total of 103,349 Taiwanese tourists visited the Philippines from January to April this year, a 24.78 percent rise from the 82,827 arrivals in the same period last year.

“So we see the trend is not only one side,” Chuang said.

For this year, the number of Filipino tourists visiting Taiwan is expected to reach 500,000, Taipei City’s Department of Information and Tourism commissioner Yi-ting Liu said.

Taipei is looking to capitalize from the continued interest from Filipino tourists as it recently launched a new promotional video targeted at the Philippine market.

Liu is encouraging Filipino tourists to visit Taipei again and try something they have never experienced before.

“There are more and more spots that the people who’ve been there for the first time, for sure the second time they haven’t been there,” he said.

Apart from the music video launch, Liu said the Department of Information and Tourism has also organized a business matching session for travel agencies in the Philippines.