The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Manila has asked the Philippine government to grant Taiwanese tourists visa-free entry to the country in reciprocity for the visa-free entry that Filipinos have been enjoying.

Taiwan announced last year that it was extending visa-free entry for nationals of the Philippines, Thailand and Brunei until 31 July 2024 to revive mutual bilateral exchanges in the post-pandemic era.

Usually, a visa waiver is reciprocal.

“Taiwan, since 2017, has waived visas for Filipino tourists visiting for two weeks. Since then we have enjoyed a lot of visitors coming from the Philippines. On the other hand, we have very few Taiwanese visiting the Philippines,” said Taiwan Representative Wallace Minn-Gan Chow in an interview at the Savoy Hotel on Boracay in Aklan last Saturday.

Chow said the key reason a few Taiwanese visit the Philippines is the country does not have a visa waiver program with Taiwan.

“If the Philippine government can give a visa waiver for two weeks, the number of Taiwanese tourists going to the Philippines will be much more,” said Chow, Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the Philippines.

In 2023, he said Taiwan received 350,000 Filipino visitors, while only 195,000 Taiwanese visitors went to the Philippines.

“Taiwanese travelers don’t want the hassle of applying for Philippine visas and paying P2,500 for visa fees. I hope the Philippine government considers this short visa waiver request,” he said.

Direct flights

Aside from a visa waiver, Ambassador Chow said he expects the Philippine government to establish more direct flights from Taipei to Caticlan in Aklan.

Taiwan has direct flights to Kalibo Airport, which is more than two hours from Caticlan, the jump-off point to Boracay Island.

However, the ambassador’s request will take years, as Caticlan Airport is not ready to receive international flights.

Department of Tourism Region 6 Director Crisanta Marlene Rodriguez said only international chartered flights land at Caticlan Airport, and it can’t accept A320-type aircraft.

“Although there are plans to turn it into an international gateway, sadly, it is too small. The LGU is still in the process of locating idle government-owned lands adjacent to the airport. We have a lot of elementary schools here that cannot be acquired to turn into an extension of the airport,” Rodriguez told DAILY TRIBUNE.

The TECO ambassador was among the dignitaries who graced the Boracay Business Forum on Friday. The forum, presented by the Global Tourism Business Association and One Klik Events Management, was held at Savoy Hotel from 18 to 19 April.

Taiwanese nationals ranked fourth in terms of Boracay’s top foreign visitors. Topping the list are Koreans, Chinese, Americans, Australians and Russians, followed by citizens of the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Canada.

“At the business forum, we learned so many things about how Boracay earned its stature as one of the most visited islands in the world. It attracted more than two million local and foreign visitors last year. This place is well-developed, and there are still many things we can learn from the local government of Boracay on how to attain those numbers,” Chow said.

During his presentation at the forum, Malay Mayor Frolibar Baustista revealed that they plan to entice Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators and casino operators to Malay.

Bautista said future plans include Boracay’s tourism renewal, a controlled and efficient connection of Malay to the mainland with the construction of a bridge, diversion, circumferential, and lateral roads on the mainland, waterfront development projects on the mainland, a housing project (Boracay workers village), and the development of a new city center, including a city hall.

Other ambassadors who graced the Boracay Business Forum were Dato’ Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino of Malaysia, Agus Widjojo of Indonesia, Megawati Dato Paduka Haji Manan of Brunei, Lai Thai Binh of Vietnam, Phan Peuv of Cambodia, Sonexay Vannaxay of Laos, Dr. Imtiaz Kazi of Pakistan, and Dr. Sandre Alam, the acting ambassador and charge d’ affaires of India.