I met an overseas Filipino worker on the flight when I completed my master's degree in the United States and went back to Taiwan ten years ago. It has been such a long time so I don't remember what her name was or what we talked about. But I remember she was in her fifties, worked as a health worker in the United States, and she was coming home to Manila to visit her family.

In fact, she was the first Filipina I have ever talked with, and she was so amiable and zestful that we talked almost all the way from New York to Japan where we took different flights back home. It never occurred to me that seven years later, I would come to the Philippines to work as a correspondent, and I have stayed in Manila for almost four years now.

I hadn't thought of this lady until yesterday when I was attending the launch of the Bisita, Be My Guest program by the Department of Tourism and Department of Migrant Workers. Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said in her address that 44 percent of travelers asked by Department of Tourism survey said that they came to and went around the Philippines to visit friends and relatives while 43 percent of respondents came to the Philippines for vacation and leisure.

Frasco said that the result was astonishing to DoT that something happening so normal and regular such as visiting family and friends has become the number one reason why people come to the Philippines notwithstanding dangers of the pandemic.

Actually, I have heard from at least four of my Taiwanese friends working in the Philippines to have their parents or boyfriends come to Manila multiple times and most of their visitors had paid a visit to resort islands like Boracay or Bohol during their stay in the Philippines.

In my personal experience, before the pandemic, my high school classmate and my parents came to see me in Manila in 2019 and 2020, respectively. I also went to Turkey and the United Kingdom for the same reason, to visit friends.

I had never thought of visiting Turkey before my friend started working there, and my classmate and parents wouldn't come to Manila if I was not here. Both Turkey and the Philippines have many wonderful tourist spots and attractions for sure, but while there are so many travel destinations out there, people may choose going to Japan, Korea or Thailand if those are the countries they are more familiar with, or heard more about from their friends, relatives or the media.

So undoubtedly, it is one vital factor affecting people's decision on which country to visit if they have friends or relatives there. That's why I was impressed by learning about the BBMG program.

Now that Covid-19 cases have been going down, every country has begun taking actions to attract foreign visitors. For instance, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau has invited actress, Taiwan Tourism Ambassador Gabbi Garcia to Taiwan in February to see cherry blossoms and splendid lanterns in the Taiwan Lantern Festival. Gabbi will go to Taiwan again in March to hold a meet-and-greet with her fans.

As far as I am concerned, countries and regions with a considerable number of OFWs can learn from the BBMG program and provide discounts, special rates and other incentives to friends and relatives of OFWs who are invited to their respective countries.

Hong Kong and Singapore are great examples of favorable travel destinations for Filipinos where a lot of OFWs reside. After I came to Manila, I met some Filipinos who were going to work in Taiwan, and some of my Filipino friends have family members working there, but it seems that it's not common for their family to go to Taiwan to visit them.

I interviewed an OFW Rowen Relator in 2021 and he is currently working in Taiwan. He posts photos of his wife and three-year-old daughter on Facebook so frequently that I can see how much he loves and misses his family. For OFWs working in different countries and countries that host them, I believe it will be a win-win situation to offer incentives to their loved ones to travel to those countries.