MANILA, Philippines - Taiwan asked yesterday the Philippines to reciprocate the visa exemption extended to Filipino tourists.
Taiwan Economic Cooperation Office (TECO) Representative in Manila Raymond L.S. Wang said Taiwan has a visa waiver for Filipinos with valid visas issued by countries like the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, and Schengen Convention countries.
“We ask for reciprocity that the same visa waiver be given to Taiwanese tourists going to the Philippines,” Wang said.
According to TECO, around 130,000 Filipino tourists out of six million foreign travelers visit Taiwan every year, while about 180,000 Taiwanese visit the Philippines annually.
He said that this concerns people-to-people relations and is not in violation of the one-China policy.
Taiwan had added the Philippines to its list of countries eligible for visa exemption.
Since March 1, 2009, Philippine passport holders have been exempted from visa requirements and could stay in Taiwan for 30 days, provided that they had never worked in Taiwan as blue-collar workers.
Aside from the Philippines, the visa exemption also applies to passport holders from India, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia who also possess a valid visa or permanent residence certificate issued by the US, Canada, Japan, UK, Schengen Convention countries, Australia or New Zealand.
Citizens of the eligible countries who have never been employed in Taiwan as blue-collar workers have to first register their documents and personal data with the “Advance Online Registration System for the Visitors of Nationals from Five Southeast Asian Countries to Taiwan” at https://nas.immigration.gov.tw/nase/.
A confirmation sheet should be printed to validate the travelers’ status for online boarding and immigration check. Travelers who fail to produce the confirmation or a valid visa or permanent residence certificate issued by eligible countries will not be admitted into Taiwan.
Taiwan’s policy that took effect in 2009 also allowed Filipino tourists to visit Taiwan without a visa.
The visa waiver extended to the Philippines is Taipei’s move to help boost the island’s economy.
TECO also launched yesterday the Food Culture in Taiwan website that is dubbed as Taipei’s “food diplomacy” through the Internet.
Wang said Taiwan has mostly been identified for its contribution to international efforts, especially since President Ma Ying-Jeou took office in 2008.
“And the promotion of soft power has become one of the major policies of the government of the Republic of China or Taiwan,” Wang said.
In recent years though, he said Taiwan has steadily become known for its food and food culture, most notably its unique night markets.
Since food is one of the core parts of Taiwanese culture, it is the perfect representation of Taiwan to the international community, and the Taiwanese government has been making tremendous efforts to actively promote these as a unique attraction.
Recently, the Government Information Office launched a food culture website to introduce and promote Taiwanese food to foreigners, and at the same time attract more tourists to visit Taiwan.
The website contains over 70 dishes, divided into seven categories: Taiwanese cuisine; Taiwanese seafood; Fusion Chinese; Hakka cuisine; Indigenous People’s Dishes; Night Market Foods and Drinks; and Desserts and Gift Ideas.
There is also a separate category for food culture, which includes articles on the various night markets around the island as well as some unique aspects of Taiwanese cooking.