TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taichung International Airport on Thursday (April 6) welcomed its first flight from the Philippines, which carried 180 tourists from Manila, who are staying in Taiwan for three days.
Liberty Times reported that aside from the Thursday flight, two other flights are scheduled to bring more tourists from Manila on Saturday (April 8) and Monday (April 10). Some attractions on the travelers’ itinerary include the Feng Chia Night Market, Sun Moon Lake, Ximending, and Yehliu.
In an interview with CTS News, a Filipino passenger highlighted Taichung’s beauty and “awesome” night markets. Another traveler said it was very “exciting” to be in Taiwan, adding that she enjoyed the good food and welcoming people.
In response to the opening of the new route, a Taiwanese interviewee said she would like to see more destinations made available, such as those in Japan and South Korea, which are popular amongst Taiwanese travelers.
As one of Taiwan’s four international airports, the Taichung airport only had flights to and from Hong Kong and Vietnam, while other airports had reopened for various international routes. Working with airline companies and travel agencies, the Tourism Bureau began expanding the airport’s destinations and reportedly will restore routes between the city and Nagoya and Tottori, Japan and Da Nang, Vietnam.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Taichung airport had flights to Japan, China, and Boracay, but the routes were shut down after the global outbreak. Though the world and Taiwan have reopened for international travel, the routes have not been restored.