Travel fair hoping to reinvigorate tourism industry

The 10th International Travel Fair 2002 kicks off today at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall, with participants hoping to attract more Taiwanese tourists to travel after a year of setbacks in the industry.

The four-day fair, co-sponsored by the Tourism Bureau and the Taiwan Visitors Association (台灣觀光協會), has attracted 51 nations to set up some 500 booths.

Reviving declining tourist numbers after terrorist attacks in the US and Indonesia is the major goal of exhibitors.

"After the September 11 terrorist attack [of last year], international visitors to the American State of Montana dropped by 20 percent to 520,000," Wang Mei-mei (王美美), a representative from the State of Montana Trade Office, said yesterday at a press conference promoting the event. "Visits by Taiwanese tour groups to the area have also declined significantly."

The number of Taiwan's outbound tourists declined by 7.2 percent to 7.1 million last year from the year before, with visitors to the US down by 28.l percent, according to the Tourism Bureau.

The figure was 5.82 million in the first nine months of this year, down 12.76 percent from a year ago, the bureau said.

"We hope to bring back the number of Taiwanese visitors by targeting individual and package-tour travelers to enjoy the natural scenery of our state," Wang said.

Many nations in Southeast Asia -- hurt by the terrorist attack in Bali, Indonesia, in early October -- will try to boost tourists numbers at the show by holding cultural events that display native costumes and dance.

Junnapong Saranak, director of the Thailand Tourism Division in Taiwan, said that Tai-wanese visitors to their country declined 20 percent after the Bali attack.

"With nine million visitors to Thailand annually, the government has vowed to protect the safety of these visitors and also the lives of our people by taking the necessary precautions at airports and tourist spots," he said.

Saranak said the number of Taiwanese visitors to Thailand has gradually risen in recent months. He predicts around 800,000 Taiwanese will visit his country this year and the number may grow five percent to 840,000 next year.

Local travel agencies, hotels and tourist destinations are expected to have some 100 booths at the fair, anxious to boost domestic tourism by offering discounted prices.

Meanwhile, the Council of Agriculture will be promoting agricultural tourism at the show, offering 40 domestic tours including farm visits, tea picking and whale-watching cruises.

The fair starts at 12:30pm today and will run from 10am to 6pm for the remainder of the event. Admission is NT$200.