VP Chen touts effectiveness of government policies in boosting tourism

2018/03/05

Taiwan’s tourism industry is on the development fast track, underscoring the effectiveness of government policies in strengthening key fundamentals and attracting more visitors, Vice President Chen Chien-jen said March 1.
 
 Despite the local sector going through a structural transition last year, Taiwan welcomed a record 10.74 million tourists, Chen said. The credit for this accomplishment largely goes to close public-private sector collaboration, he added.
 
 The vice president made the remarks during the launch of the 2018 Tourism Festival in Taipei City. An initiative of the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the annual event coincides with the Lantern Festival falling on the 15th day of the first lunar month.
 
 According to Chen, some of the most impressive gains in visitor numbers during the same period were recorded by New Southbound Policy target countries. A surge of 30 percent took this figure to over 2 million for the first time and accounted for 20 percent of the total, he said.

 A key plank in the government’s national development strategy, the New Southbound Policy seeks to enhance agricultural, business, cultural, education, tourism and trade ties between Taiwan and the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations member states, six South Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.
 
 Chen said undertakings aimed at further cultivating this potential-laden segment were launched last year. These include offering visa-free entry for nationals of Brunei, the Philippines and Thailand, encouraging Taiwan businesses operating in New Southbound Policy countries to organize inbound incentive tours, staging additional tourism promotion events, and creating an even friendlier environment for Muslim travelers through a raft of measures like promoting halal certification in hotels and restaurants.
 
 But this is only the beginning, the vice president said. The government is working with its private sector partners in rolling out enhanced products and services so as to boost the appeal of Taiwan’s tourism industry, he added.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=6&post=130249)