Taiwan joins Travel Tour Expo

To drive up the number of high spenders from the Philippines to tour Taiwan, the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has consigned the Taiwan Visitors Association to incept the first-ever Taiwan Delegation, made up of topnotch domestic travel operators and folk performance groups, to attend the grand 16th Travel Tour Expo 2009 in Manila, a constructive and effective approach that will draw-in new visitor sources from Southeast Asia for the year.

With Taiwan lifting travel restrictions granting tourists from five Southeast countries visa-free status, a new governmental policy that's been implemented, this Delegation expects the Filipino media and the local travel counterparts to sharply increase their coverage and promotion for Taiwan, a move that will surely attract upstanding socioeconomic elites to visit, and enliven the Taiwan tourism market with fresh dynamics.

The all-comprehensive campaign synergized by the Tourism Bureau to boost international tourist-sources has achieved great success. The Philippines, a neighbor within a convenient travel distance, and one with high ethnic Chinese population to boot, is a country full of developmental potential welcomed by the Taiwanese operators. Out of the 85,030 Filipino tourists visited Taiwan in 2007, 6.3% more then 2006, 4,913 were overseas Chinese. And in 2008, 87,936 visited our beautiful island in spite of the financial tsunami that traumatized the world, 3.42% higher than 2007. It is a fact that the financial downturn has wrecked havoc in the global tourism market, but with collaborative efforts directed by Taiwan's tourism authorities and the private sector, this decline will no doubt only be temporary; and with this maiden appearance at the Expo, Taiwan's tourism image unquestionably will undoubtedly be imprinted into the local public's awareness, and our name recognition enhanced sharply.

eTaiwan News, Taiwan