THE Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) is hoping to see a return in Taiwanese tourists following the Taiwanese government’s lifting of a travel ban against the South-east Asian nation over a week ago, and plans to do this by working with the Taiwanese travel trade.
Tess Mauricio, head for Asia-Pacific and Oceania, Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), DoT, said: “We hope to entice more buyers to come from Taiwan and register at the Philippine Travel Exchange 2013 (PHITEX).”
The travel mart is scheduled to run between September 4 and 6, ahead of the Philippine Tour Operators Association’s yearly Philippine Travel Mart. Registered buyers can participate in fam trips across seven cluster programmes, three of which will introduce new components such as Siquijor, Matnog in Sorsogon, and Sarangani.
TPB is also planning to re-mount a sales mission that was cancelled last June, covering the trade in Kaohsiung, Taichung, and Taipei. The board also said local airlines were in talks to resume charter flights from Taiwan to popular destinations in the Philippines, but was unable to share more.
Mauricio said that tour operators in Taiwan were expected to reorganise tours that would get flight charters back in business following the lifting of the ban.
Cebu Pacific’s vice president for marketing and distribution, Candice Iyog, shared that the airline had received inquiries from Taiwanese tour operators regarding charter flights but charter schedules had not yet been finalised.
Taiwan severed travel ties with the Philippines in May this year after Philippine coastguards opened fire on and killed a Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters off Batanes, sparking a diplomatic spat and a travel advisory against the Philippines (TTG Asia e-Daily, May 21, 2013).
Meanwhile, the removal of Europe’s ban against PAL (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 11, 2013) has also spelled more hopes for the longhaul market and could bring PHITEX buyers from markets such as the UK, Italy and Russia. The airline is expected to resume flights to European destinations such as London from October.
