Tourism arrivals from Taiwan decline 8% in January-September

MANILA, Philippines - Tourist arrivals from Taiwan dropped eight percent to 5.448 million during the first nine months of the year from a 6.590 million a year ago because of the global economic slump, the government reported yesterday.

For September alone, tourists from Taiwan dropped by five percent or 625,834 from 657,988 last year.

To counter this, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei announced it is launching more marketing programs as part of its campaign to attract more Taiwanese visitors to come to the Philippines.

Antonio I. Basilio, MECO resident representative and managing director, said the marketing programs give focus on the country’s rich cultural diversity and numerous tourism sites and attractions and provide innovative packages catering to all budgets and requirements.

“We’re constantly looking for win-win opportunities with our industry partners including airlines, tour operators, destination management companies and professional conference organizers,” Basilio said.

By working strategically with MECO’s trade partners, Basilio said the organization helps in creating a new wave of tourism growth in key holiday destinations such as Bohol, Laoag, Cebu, Boracay and Palawan.

MECO initiated the creation of new package tours and charter services to the Philippines by expanding on its partnership with travel agencies and Taiwanese and Philippine carriers.

Some of these innovative products that have helped grow Philippine tourism include China Airlines’ (CAL) golf package in Kaohsiung; CAL’s Taipei-Cebu, Kaohsiung-Cebu and Kaohsiung-Kalibo charter services; TransAsia’s charter flights to Kalibo; Philippine Airlines’ ‘Swing Around’ package; and Cebu Pacific’s Easy Connect package for the Taipei-Manila-Cebu/Kalibo routes.