Taiwan’s tourist arrivals in the Philippines hit 210,000; Tourism Bureau urges citizens to postpone trips to the Philippines

▲ Even the beautiful Boracay is tainted with blood due to the fatal shooting of our fisherman by a Philippine government vessel. (File photo / Provided by Olddo)

Tourism Center / Taipei Report

Due to the Philippine government vessel’s indiscriminate shooting at the Taiwanese fishing boat “Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28,” which resulted in the death of a fisherman, anger has been stirred among the Taiwanese people. Although tourism operators have reported no cancellations so far, many Taiwanese netizens have launched a boycott against traveling to the Philippines. Even Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-pin has called on citizens to postpone trips to the Philippines, while Foreign Minister Lin Join-sane emphasized the possibility of measures such as “immediately freezing the entry of Filipino workers to Taiwan.”

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Lin Join-sane stressed in the Legislative Yuan that if the Philippines fails to respond positively to Taiwan’s demands, measures such as “immediately freezing the entry of Filipino workers to Taiwan” will be implemented. During an interpellation session at the Taipei City Council’s Education Committee, councilors asked Tourism and Communications Bureau Director Zhao Hsin-ping about the Philippine violence against our fishermen and what countermeasures the Taipei City Government would take regarding tourism exchanges. Zhao stated that Mayor Hau Lung-pin had already expressed the city government’s stance a few days ago, urging citizens to postpone trips to the Philippines until the Philippine government offers a formal apology.

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Zhao Hsin-ping noted that according to statistics from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Bureau, in 2012, the number of Filipino tourists visiting Taiwan was 105,130, while the number of Taiwanese tourists visiting the Philippines was 211,385. However, with the 72-hour ultimatum issued by President Ma Ying-jeou to the Philippines nearing its deadline, Zhao reiterated the city government’s position, urging citizens to postpone travel to the Philippines until the Philippine government offers a formal apology, in a collective expression of the voices of all citizens. However, she also emphasized that the public should continue to treat Filipino tourists and migrant workers currently in Taiwan with rationality.

Tensions between Taiwan and the Philippines due to the fisherman shooting incident have led a private company in Taichung to rally its employees to burn satirical versions of the Philippine flag to vent their anger. In Hualien, a well-known hot pot restaurant has also issued a travel safety alert for its customers, advising them to avoid the Philippines. The incident has had a subsequent impact.