Subic steps up tourism campaign in Taiwan

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on March 5, 2006. It reports that two of the Philippines' leading holiday spots are getting much-needed airlift from regional carrier Mandarin Airlines. The air carrier flies twice a week to Cebu and Subic in the Philippines. It recently held a travel seminar in Taipei City to generate some excitement for its flagship destinations.

Several government officials from the Philippines and more than 100 industry members and media practitioners participated in the seminar. Subic was promoted as a world-class tourist spot with great service facilities and attractions. The area is now being developed as a premier gateway for Taiwanese tourists in addition to busy Manila.

More significantly, Taiwanese tourists travelling to and staying within Subic are not required to secure entry visas. As the authorities in Subic are currently working on connecting the area with other regional cities, including Shanghai, Taiwanese tourists will have the option of travelling to Shanghai via Subic, instead of flying to usual jump-off airports in Hong Kong and Macau.

One of Subic's high-profile marketing projects is the production of a Taiwanese TV soap opera, which will be shot entirely in the area. The telenovela will be dubbed in several languages and circulated for broadcasting in Taiwan, the Philippines, China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. Meanwhile, the authorities in Subic are working on guide book on the area and other major tourist destinations in the Philippines.

A 40-member delegation from the Philippines will be attending the Kiwanis Club Convention in southern Taiwan's Kaohsiung City from March 11 to 12. The delegation will be campaigning for the next Kiwanis Club Asia-Pacific Conference, which is scheduled in Manila in March 2007.

Taiwan remains one of the Philippines' major tourism-generators. In January 2006, a total of 12,211 Taiwanese visited the country, up 44 percent compared with the 8,499 arrivals in January 2005.