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Philippines beaches as an alternative to Hawaii.

This is what the Philippine government is pushing as it tries to promote to Taiwanese tourists Boracay, Palawan, Cebu and Davao, said the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO).

MECO director for tourism Ireneo Reyes said, “The beauty of our beaches remains one of our major draws for Taiwanese. Many couples looking to get married abroad do so in Hawaii, but Philippine beaches can more than hold their own, especially when is factored in.”

Hawaii is the leading beach wedding tourism destination among Taiwanese citizens today. The government is selling Boracay, Palawan, Cebu, Davao and other beaches in the Philippines as an alternative to Hawaii.

In its effort to accomplish this, MECO conducted product presentations in Kaohsiung, Taichung and Taipei last October 26 to 29. They also joined the Taipei International Travel Fair (TITF) which was held in Taipei World Trade Center last October 30 to November 2.

According to Reyes, Boracay is the top favorite destination in the Philippines among Taiwanese, followed by Cebu, Bohol, Palawan and Manila. Dive sites, golf and Filipino schools offering the English language program also got the interest of the Taiwanese.

In the recent travel fair, there was a bigger delegation from the Philippines headed by Tourism Undersecretary Eduardo Jarque, Jr., with the participation of 17 private tourism establishments, which include tour operators and hotel and resort representatives from Manila, Boracay, and Davao.

The participation of the Philippines generated good business leads for more Taiwanese visits for year.  They were able to confirm 221 bookings for group tours, with more than 800 queries registered during the fair.

Boosting further this future influx of tourist from Taiwan is the addition of the Philippine Airlines’ Taipei-Kalibo route to the various charter flights from Taiwan to the Philippines. This route will on December 9 and it will be using a 150-seater A320 aircraft