The Philippines is a popular holiday destination for Taiwanese travelers; industry insiders: no cancellation calls received

▲ Tensions between Taiwan and the Philippines over the "Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28" incident, but according to industry sources, current tour groups to the Philippines have not been significantly affected. (Photo / Yang Yutang)

Reported by Travel Center / Taipei

Philippine government vesselfired indiscriminately at the Taiwanese fishing boat "Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28,"killing one fisherman and sparking outrage among Taiwanese people. Some netizens have called for a travel boycott until the Philippines issues an apology. On the 13th, tourism operators stated that they have not yet received any requests from travelers to cancel their trips due to the incident. However, in reality, the number of Taiwanese tourists visiting the Philippines has been steadily rising in recent years, with the country's famous beaches and islands becoming popular holiday destinations for Taiwanese.

According to a spokesperson from Lion Travel, the top four destinations in the Philippines for Taiwanese travelers are Boracay, Cebu Island, the capital Manila, and Palawan. Regarding the Taiwan-Philippines tensions triggered by the Kuang Ta Hsing No. 28 incident, there have been no reports of cancellations for either direct or connecting flights so far. All scheduled tour groups from Taiwan to the Philippines are departing as planned, and there has been no noticeable impact on local tourism. She further explained that the incident occurred in an area relatively far from the usual destinations frequented by Taiwanese travelers, which may be why it has not directly affected their willingness to visit.

Tourism operators noted that Boracay has been extremely popular since right after the Lunar New Year and remains so to this day. As of the end of June, only scattered flight seats remain available, and some travel agencies have already started selling summer vacation packages. Dragonair, which operates direct flights to Boracay, is expected to increase its flights starting June 8, highlighting just how popular the Philippine island is among Taiwanese travelers.