From our perch here in Calumpang, we can see how whole industries and sectors---such as tourism--suffer by just one careless diplomatic faux pas or comment.
This month, Japanese PM Sanae Takaichi triggered a serious diplomatic dispute with China when she blurted out that a Chinese attack on Taiwan through warships, etc. would threaten Japan's survival and could trigger a military response.
This comment is significant because Japan is a pacifist nation and could use its military power only in self-defense, but which exemptions. That these exemptions may be open for interpretation by its executive officials, with the prime minister being their head.
Social media and modern technology of communications provides original info and reactions in minutes, and vitriols were exchanged between officials of China and Japan, followed by travel advisories.
China, which provides the bulk of Japan's tourism, advised its citizens not to travel there and both countries' tourism industry suffered losses immediately, and tourism-related stocks in Japan and China tanked.
If the boycott lasts for a year, it would mean losses of 2.2 trillion yen or $14.23 billion for Japan, and job losses in both countries.
Philippines' e-Visa resumes
These changes in the lay of the land of Asian region's tourism opens more opportunities for Philippine tourism.
And it is providential that just last Nov. 1, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) under Secretary Ma. Theresa "Tess" Lazaro decided to resume the operation of e-Visa for Chinese travelers wanting to visit the Philippines as tourists.
The DFA made a soft launch of the e-Visa operations in China last Nov. 1, with full implementation two days later.
The DFA, through the Philippine Embassy in Beijing, has engaged the services of VFS Global in the resumption of e-Visa operations across mainland China and its Special Administrative Regions (SARs). A Memorandum of Agreement between the Embassy and VFS Global was signed on October 15, 2025 in Beijing.
VFS Global will manage the online application platform and ensure complete submission of the documentary requirements and its secure transmission to the Philippine Foreign Service Posts in China, for assessment and issuance of the eVisa in accordance with DFA guidelines.
Under the eVisa System, Chinese nationals residing in the mainland and the SARs will be eligible to apply for Philippine eVisas for tourism and business purposes.
The eVisa will allow a single, non-extendable, and non-convertible 14-day entry and will be valid for entry only through the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Metro Manila and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport in Cebu.
Chinese nationals and other eligible foreign nationals residing in China may also apply for conventional (sticker) visas through the nearest Visa Application Centers (VACs) of VFS Global in Beijing, Chongqing, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.
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