Taiwan tourist arrivals seen to stimulate local economy

This white sand beach in Sta Fe town, Bantayan Island is among Cebu’s top tourism destinations. / Cebu Daily News photo

The patronage of Taiwanese nationals for Cebu tourism destinations is expected to help stimulate the local economy, said Cebu Provincial Tourism Officer Joselito “Boboi” Costas.

Costas said that Cebu’s inclusion in their preferred destinations will benefit not only the local tourism players but also small business owners in the localities.

“If you base it on (the) Expedia (report), they (Taiwanese tourists) book bed and breakfast which will benefit the local businesses. I would suppose that they will stimulate the local economy, (as well)“ Costas said in an interview on Monday.

Expedia, an online travel company, said in its 2018 annual report released last week that Cebu and Kuala Lumpur have become two of the most popular holiday destinations for Taiwanese travelers, making it to their top 10 list for the first time.

The 2018 report, based on online travel booking statistics,  named Hong Kong, Tokyo, Bangkok, Seoul, Osaka, Shanghai, Cebu, Macau, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, as the top 10 destinations visited most by Taiwanese travelers.

Costas said that Cebu’s white sand beaches could be a major consideration for the province’s ranking in the Expedia list.  The province’s proximity to Taiwan is also another important factor, he added.

“The trend karon is shorter distance. People now would love to go to destinations which are nearer compared to those that require longer travels,” he added.

According  to records from the Provincial Tourism Office (PTO), Taiwanese nationals posted the sixth highest tourist arrivals with at least 46,995 visitors in 2017.