Two Philippine food trucks dishing out free pork sisig and pork adobo along with mojitos and San Miguel beers have started a two-week tour of Taipei to promote tourism in the Southeast Asian country.
The trucks are to be at Eslite Xinyi Store on Songgao Road from 6pm to 8pm today, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park from 2pm to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday, the pedestrian walkway near East Metro Mall’s No. 12 exit from 6pm to 8pm from Monday to Friday next week, POPOP Taipei from 2pm to 6pm on Saturday and Sunday next week, and the pedestrian walkway near East Metro Mall’s No. 12 exit from 6pm to 8pm on June 20 to 21.
Philippine Department of Tourism in Taiwan director Hazel Habito Javier said the trucks are expected to dish out about 1,400 hot meals, which come with garlic rice, salted eggs, atchara and turon, to those who take a photograph with the vehicles and upload it to social media and like the Philippine Department of Tourism in Taiwan on Facebook.
The promotion aims to heighten the awareness and appreciation of Philippine cuisine and attract Taiwanese holidaymakers to the country, which on April 1 reopened its borders to travelers who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, Javier said.
FOOD AND IDENTITIY
“For the Philippines, similar to Taiwan, food and drinks are an integral part of our history and identity. It has become a key element of our nation’s brand image,” she said.
“We hope that through this effort, Taiwanese will have a pleasant experience that will push them to pack their bags and travel to the Philippines,” she added.
Taiwan is one of the top five sources of tourists to the Philippines, with about 327,273 Taiwanese heading to the country in 2019, she said.
Moreover, Taiwanese tourists’ spending in the country in 2019 totaled US$252.1 million, she added.
“These figures indicate sustained consumer interest and strong potential to expand further, considering the accessibility and proximity of the Philippines to Taiwan,” Javier said.
Manila Economic and Cultural Office Deputy Resident Representative Teodoro Luis Javelosa Jr said the relationship between the Philippines and Taiwan is strong, as workers from the Philippines drive industry growth in Taiwan.
“We are next-door neighbors. Tourism is important to the Philippines, which is why we are working hard to convince more Taiwanese to start traveling back to our islands,” he added.
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