Earlier this year, the Tourism Administration invited Filipina actress Gabbi Garcia and her boyfriend model Khalil Ramos to serve as ambassadors for Taiwan tourism in the Philippines’ market. The administration specifically requested that they promote tourism to Taiwan with a human touch, using the popular Tagalog phrase “Panahon sa Taiwan: Ang Iyong Love Story,” meaning “Create Your Taiwan Love Story” as a promotional slogan.
The couple’s endorsement has indeed increased the number of Filipino tourists visiting Taiwan. From January to October this year, more than 370,000 Filipino tourists came to the country, an increase of more than 35% compared to the same period last year, making the Philippines the largest Southeast Asian source of tourists to Taiwan.
This time, Garcia and Ramos have come to Taiwan ahead of the Christmas holiday, when many Filipinos go abroad for vacation. Their itinerary includes Kaohsiung’s Pier-2 Art Center, the Taipei Music Center, and a number of Michelin-starred restaurants. They also hosted meet-and-greets during the weekend.
Tourism Administration International Affairs Division head Huang I-cheng (黃易成) visited their Taipei meet-and-greet, taking the opportunity to thank Garcia and Ramos personally and to welcome Filipino travelers to Taiwan. Huang said that the administration intends to establish a branch office in Manila on December 20 to further strengthen local tourism service consultations in addition to launching cooperative efforts with travel agencies in the Philippines.