with visa-free travel to the country as this will bolster economic and tourism activities between two nations.
Currently, the Taiwanese government allows Filipinos to visit their country for 14 days as a tourist and without requiring them for a visa, said Michael Peiyung Hsu, Ambassador of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office to the Philippines.
The visa-exempt entry scheme for Filipinos resumed on Sept. 29, 2022 and will be in place until July 31, 2023. Hsu said there’s a possibility for the program to be extended but there’s no official announcement yet.
But Taiwanese citizens who wish to visit the Philippines have to apply and be granted a visa.
Hsu believes that amending the existing policy between the two nations will deepen the diplomatic and foreign relationship of Taiwan and the Philippines.
“If you grant us a visa-free program, I believe we will have at least a million Taiwanese coming to the Philippines,” Hsu said during the launching of the Taiwan Tourism Workshop Cebu-leg on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.
In 2019, more than half a million Filipinos traveled to Taiwan, while the Philippines welcomed over 300,000 Taiwanese visitors.
Cebu welcomed 2,124 Taiwanese tourists in the first nine months of 2022 a big jump from 136 logged in the same period in 2021.
But countries like Japan and Korea that have been granting Taiwanese tourists with free visas to enter their countries have been enjoying three million arrivals every year.
Meanwhile, Hsu said the country’s connection to Taiwan have been boosted with additional direct flights from hubs in Manila, Cebu and Clark (Pampanga).
Starlux Airlines will begin flying the Taipei-Clark route in March this year.
Air carriers like China Airlines, Starlux Airlines, and EVA Airways are also offering Taipei-Cebu routes.
AirAsia has also resumed flight routes from Manila to Kaohsiung and Cebu to Kaohsiung and vice versa.
Tourism workshop
Several travel agencies, hotels and airlines based in Taiwan were gathered for the 2023 Taiwan Tourism Workshop in Manila and Cebu last Feb. 3 and Feb. 7, respectively.
These tourism stakeholders invite the Filipino to once again visit and experience Taiwan’s tourist attractions.
Hsu said both Taiwan and the Philippines have been among top tourism source markets and major travel destinations for each other.