Daily TribuneTo attract Filipino tourists, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs is extending the 14-day visa-free access until July next year.
A scene at the Lantern Festival in Taiwan, where thousands of sky lanterns are lit over Pingxi District. During the festival, a notoriously dangerous fireworks is also displayed in the sky of Tainan to ward off evil and disease from the town.
PhotoGRAPH COURTESY OF Jun Hong Tan
The Philippines is Taiwan’s second-largest source of visitors from Southeast Asia and fifth globally.
And now, travelers from the Philippines may look forward to more happy, lasting memories during their trip to Taiwan, guided by a detailed roadmap of those who came before them to see the unique allures of the long island.
Recently the Taiwan Tourism Administration showcased “Taiwan-waves of wonder” at the Travel Madness Expo, where Taiwan tourism Filipino advocates Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos talked about their travel experiences and the appeal of Taiwanese food.
Tourists can partake in activities, including rush weaving, screen printing, painting traditional silk fans, and creating Taiwanese lanterns, as well as performances that combine street dance with Taiwan’s ancient “Jia Jiang” (Infernal Generals) culture.
Forty-eight delegates were assembled by the Taiwan Tourism Administration to attend the Travel Madness Expo, in a pavilion fashioned as a massive bubble tea cup with urban landmarks, flowers, bike pathways and other natural sceneries, all centered at the immensely popular bubble tea around the world.
Along with promoting eco-friendly travel and the 2024 Taichung International Flower Carpet Festival, the pavilion highlighted the charms of railroad travel for Filipino tourists by highlighting railway tourism in Alishan National Scenic Area.
The team also organized Taiwan Tourism Workshop events at the SMX Convention Center in Davao and the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu to strengthen the platform for tourism industries in Taiwan and the Philippines.
The objective is to draw Filipino tourists to Taiwan, reach the target of 10 million foreign visitors, and sustain the strong recovery of Taiwan’s tourism sector.
Taiwan was named second-most popular country in Asia by the global finance website Insider Monkey in 2024.
It also scored second on Airbnb’s list of nations experiencing a significant spike in searches.
To attract Filipino tourists, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is extending the 14-day visa-free access until July of next year.
The number of Filipino visitors to Taiwan reached 350,487 in 2023, a promising return to pre-pandemic levels.
There were 116,906 Filipino visitors from January to March this year, up 2.92 percent from 113,591 visits during the same period in 2019.
