Taiwan to look at extension of visa-free policy for Filipinos
Taiwan will reevaluate if it will extend the visa-free policy for Filipinos as it looks forward to boosting its tourism following the tourism challenges brought by Covid-19 pandemic.
According to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines, the Taiwanese government is assessing its policy every year. Decision will be made ahead of the visa-free status expiration on July 31.
"Official announcement will be released once the decision is made. But so far, no official notice yet," TECO said on Friday.
This came after TECO Representative Peiyung Hsu reportedly said Taiwan is eyeing the extension of visa-free policy for Filipinos to promote people-to-people connectivity.
Currently, Taiwan is participating in a three-day travel expo at the SMX Convention Center that started on Feb. 3.
Since lifting all Covid-19 entry restrictions in October 2022 and granting Filipino tourists visa-free access, the number of arrivals in Taiwan grew sharply by 224.85 percent last year or from 9,183 in 2021 to 29,831 in 2022, said TECO.