Now that Taiwan has extended its visa-free travel attraction, expect more Filipinos to visit this island the Portuguese once called “Ilha Formosa”— beautiful island.
The visa requirement was lifted November 2017, and was supposed to last until the end of July this year. It has been extended for another year, not only for the Philippines, but for Thai and Brunei nationals as well.
But why do more Filipinos and Thais come to visit Taiwan? Surely it’s not for the convenience of not having to file for entry permits alone.
Taiwan is very clean and very green, as our good friend and veteran journalist Ellen Tordesillas, who visited recently to attend a conference, observed.
The terrain helped to make it green, a Taiwanese diplomat modestly explained once. “Very mountainous, which is why people cannot build, so they only stay in the plains and coastlines,” he said.
I did not want to tell him about our Baguio City, and other mountains and hillsides nonetheless populated by a huge army of slums. He has not yet been to our country, and I told him to visit Palawan, or Cebu and Bohol, or Siargao. I also told him to skip Metro Manila, lest he waste his time in horrendous traffic.
But apart from being clean and green, Taiwan, even the capital, Taipei, whose national museum contains most of the artistic treasures of China, is quite inexpensive. Certainly, the hotel rates are lower than Metro Manila’s, or even Boracay or Mactan. And there are a lot of inexpensive two-star and one-star hotels that are spartan but clean. These, despite high real estate costs.
And unlike other regional capitals where staff are aloof, Taiwan’s are friendlier, even if they speak English haltingly. They are quite solicitous and helpful.
The food is good almost everywhere, even in their street food stalls. And Taiwan health and sanitation officials are so strict that street food is quite safe to eat.
Why is the Philippines not faring better?
Among other things, traveling to the country is quite expensive.
A diplomat assigned to Taipei told me recently that he wanted to bring his family for a four-night holiday in Bohol last February during the Chinese New Year holiday here. But he balked at the travel agency’s quotation of US $8,000, excluding airfare. The guy comes from a rich country, but found the price outrageous.
A European diplomat and his wife chimed in a similar observation. I could only mutter that it must have been the seasonal variation, as Chinese New Year is peak season. But truth to tell, I was quite embarrassed.
I myself find our travel costs in my own country too expensive compared to Bangkok, or Cambodia, or Hanoi, or Taiwan. Even the fabled Bali is decidedly more affordable.
This is something our Department of Tourism should look at. Not everybody who wants to visit our islands is an oil-rich sheik. Most everybody else wants value for money.
***
We just concluded as of this writing, Food Taipei, the annual exhibition of the food, pharmaceutical, packaging and other country food products affair held at the cavernous Nangang Exhibition Hall.
One thousand thirty-nine companies and country-exhibitors participated, which required the pharmaceutical and biotechnology exhibitors to use the World Trade Center hall in downtown Taipei.
We had our own Filipino food booth, side by side with Belgium and Korea. Seventeen Filipino food companies joined this year, with such brands as Mama Sita (whose barbecue marinade was a hit), Distileria Limtuaco with its fine liquors from mango and cacao, virgin coconut oil and muscovado, and Century tuna, among others.
Thanks to Department of Trade and Industry’s efforts, our products are now packaged quite well. Secretary Mon Lopez and Undersecretary Nora Terrado have been reaching out to Filipino food processors and exporters and telling them about the importance of proper and attractive packaging. The results are noticeable.
Our food exporters must graduate from selling to Filipino stores and catering to our OFWs, and becoming more competitive in the real export market. I advised the exhibitors about the potentials in Taiwan, and how they should tweak their flavors to attract Taiwanese consumers. Too sweet, too salty, too sour are not applicable here. The Pinoy spaghetti (I won’t mention the popular brand) will not sell here, except to OFWs.
As of this writing, we are hoping to top last year’s immediate export sales of almost 22 million US dollars, not counting the potential for repeat orders.
***
When Department of Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat was in the Department of Agriculture, together with Assistant Secretary Dax Gazmin, they were slowly but surely making inroads in getting more and more Filipinos into high-value crops with export potential. Whoever has succeeded her at DA now should follow through, and coordinate with DTI. There is a huge potential, and we just need to adopt to specific markets, cardinal rule that this is in marketing.