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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Marcos orders extension of e-visa for Chinese, Indian, South Korean, & Japanese

Marcos orders extension of e-visa for Chinese, Indian, South Korean, & Japanese

Published Jan 26, 2023 05:09 pm

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has ordered the extension of e-visa for Chinese, Indian, South Korean and Japanese nationals in an attempt to capture the tourism markets of these countries.

President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (Photo courtesy of Malacañang)

Malacañang said on Thursday, Jan. 26, that Marcos made the directive during his meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) tourism sector group.

The group has recommended the inclusion of Indian nationals under the visa-upon-arrival program and the extension of e-visa, which is currently available only for Taiwanese citizens, to Chinese, Indian, South Korean, and Japanese nationals.

This as the PSAC advised the President to achieve the government’s economic objectives, particularly in the country’s key sectors, including tourism.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said during the meeting that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is collaborating with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on the development of the technical plans on the issue of e-visa.

With regard to the visa-upon- arrival, Manalo said the DFA has a program, which applies to certain Chinese nationals.

Other citizens such as Americans, Japanese, Australian, Canadians, and Europeans could have a 14-day visa upon arrival.

DICT Secretary Ivan Uy, meanwhile, said they are still studying various connectivity matters that need to be threshed out with respect to the other jurisdictions that will avail themselves of the Philippine e-visa platform.

Uy said it will take at least a semester to develop the capability because there is so much anti-fraud element that needs to be consolidated with the platform, and the various countries that will be connecting with the system and with the transactions.

The President made a recommendation for the DICT to take India’s offer for the use of its app regarding visas.

Other tourism-related proposals

The PSAC also recommended the implementation of a Value-Added Tax (VAT) Refund Program for foreign tourists by 2024; the removal of One Health Pass (OHP) or requirement of one form only for health, immigration, and customs; revocation of outdated advisories and loud-speaker announcements at airports; and automatic inclusion of travel tax in all airline tickets.

Among the PSAC's short-term strategic recommendations are the improvement of airport infrastructure and operations, promotion of tourism investments and managing national brand or image.

For 2023, the Department of Tourism (DOT) targets 4.8 million tourist arrivals, which could generate P2.58 trillion in revenue.

Related Tags

Bongbong Marcos tourism PSAC e-visa 12623 President Marcos
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