A team from the provincial government of Ilocos Norte is set to attend the 2025 Taiwan-Philippines “smart harbor” forum in Kaohsiung, Taiwan scheduled on Dec. 9 to 11, 2025.

The forum aims to promote cooperation between the southern Taiwan harbor, the Port of Subic Bay, and Ilocos Norte, considering its proximity to Taiwan.

“Our presence at the forum will signify our serious commitment to do business with Taiwan,” Ilocos Norte Gov. Cecilia Araneta-Marcos, who will lead the team, said on Monday.

Marcos said one of the discussions with the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Office and Taiwan tourism officials will be about the revival of Kaohsiung-Laoag charter flights.

According to Ilocos Norte tourism officer Aianree Raquel, a direct flight from Kaohsiung International Airport to Laoag International Airport lasts only about an hour, making Taiwan an ideal market to entice tourists to visit Ilocos Norte.

Laoag International Airport used to receive Chinese and Taiwanese tourists on regular chartered flights from Guangzhou and Kaohsiung in the 90s and 2000s until it stopped in 2010 due to security threats and other factors.

With the increasing number of international cruise ships docking at the International Seaport of Currimao, Marcos said she is is hoping to sustain the momentum by enticing more Taiwanese tourists to visit the province by air or water.

The upcoming forum is part of the government’s ongoing efforts to promote the so-called Taiwan-Philippines Economic Corridor.

Recently, the Ilocos Norte government started collaborating with the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan to lure more family tourists and investors to the province.

Part of the province’s tourism campaign is the improvement of the Paoay golf course and the resumption of casino operation at the Fort Ilocandia Resort. (PNA)