Through Almira Louise S. MartinezReporter
Although the Philippines do not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the two countries have maintained a strong relationship, especially in tourism.
In 2024, the Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) ranked the Philippines as the fifth largest source of incoming tourists, with around 470,000 Filipino tourist arrivals.
One of the reasons why Filipinos would rather visit the self -watched island is the proximity. 700 miles away, Filipinos can easily reach Taiwan in about two hours by plane. The TTA added that around 130 flights between the two countries take place every week between the two countries, making it more convenient for travelers.
In addition to being close to the Philippines, it is not that expensive to travel to Taiwan compared to other East Asian countries such as Japan.
According to Google Flights, the cheapest round trip ticket to Taiwan from Manila currently costs around the P8,000. The cheapest month to fly is September, while the most expensive is in January.
Lantern festival
The monumental celebration-the 36th Lantern festival, held in Taoyuan City from 12 to 23 February, became more accessible and more travel-friendly for foreign visitors, including Filipinos because it was held near the International Airport.
The most important exhibition hall of the lantern was placed for the MRT A18 station Taoyuan, which is 17 to 20 minutes from Taoyuan International Airport. In the meantime, the Lights Playground on the A19 station was, making it more favorable for travelers.
On the first day, the Taoyuan city council reported that more than 970,000 people were going to visit the lighting of the main Lantar, Infinite Paradise. Apart from this, the small New Year celebration also showed more than 300 works under 11 themes.
Some of the works shown at the event are international friendship lanterns intended to present Taiwan’s “friendly exchanges and cooperation with the world” and emphasize the festival as a gateway for tourists to visit Taiwan.
Popular destinations for Filipinos
Ivy Chen, a guide from Edison Tour, said that many Filipinos prefer to go to the largest metropolitan area in Taiwan, the Taipei-Keelung metropolitan area or the larger Taipei. The metro comprises three administrative departments: Taipei City, New Taipei City and Keelung City.
Popular destinations for Filipino tourists who visit Greater Taipei include Ximending, Taipei 101, Jiufien Old Street and Queen’s Head.
‘They don’t have the chance to discover other places [in Taiwan]. Wherever you visit, you go to the most popular place in the beginning, “Mrs. Chen told Businessworld.
The TTA said in an e -mail interview that, although Filipinos are largely familiar with the picturesque locations in the north, Taiwan has developed many “picturesque areas and new tourist sources during the epidemic, such as theme parks, hot springs and leisure companies” that can arouse the interest of Filipino’s.
Mrs. Chen suggested that Filipinos are concerned with “deep journeys” or looking for a deeper cultural immersion to see the real beauty of Taiwan and his people.
“Less is more, it is a trend, an international trend. People don’t really need much, but they can travel very deeply and experience the real nature [of the destination]”She said.
Tour
While the TTA recommends to cross the countryside, the language barrier remains a challenge for Filipino travelers. Unlike in Taipei, the capital of the country, where a few can understand and speak English, most people in the countryside only speak Mandarin, Taiwanese and Hakka.
To tackle this problem and guarantee trouble-free journeys for Filipinos, some travel agencies offer tagalog-speaking guides to help tourists better communicate with Taiwanese people while exploring their beautiful culture, tradition and cuisine.
“When the Filipino guest comes, this man can speak to them Tagalog,” said Mrs. Chen, emphasizing the 50 Tagalog-speaking guides of her company.
Mrs. Ivy added that although these guides are not all Filipinos, they underwent seminars and certifications to ensure that they can speak and understand tagalog fluently.
Those who prefer a “Do it yourself (do-it-yourself)” trip can also choose to explore the island via taxi, training or row-haailing car.
Tourism center
The government of Taiwan is planning to open more tourist offices abroad to attract more visitors from all over the world.
“The government will serve as a leader in the tourism sector and the entire Taiwanese tourism sector to go worldwide,” the TTA said in a press release.
The first Taiwan Tourism Information Center was opened in the Philippines in December to further stimulate the number of incoming tourists in Taiwan. It is intended to be a Resource Hub that offers the latest information about the travel requirements of Taiwan, tourist destinations and cultural attractions.
“We believe that Taiwan’s Soft Power and Sturdy Foundation will shine when the Taiwan Lantern Festival and the World Taiwan show,” the TTA added.
Taipei Economic and Culture Office in the Philippines Ambassador Wallace Chow said last December that he is looking forward to reaching 500,000 Filipino tourists in 2025.
The visa -free policy for Filipino citizens who go to Taiwan is valid until July 31, 2025.
Business World was part of the media -confident trip in Taiwan organized by the TTA from 11 to 16 February.