Singapore, Thailand and China are the top three destinations for personal travel in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the latest poll by MasterCard International.
Singapore and Thailand each attracted 16 percent of the 6,000 respondents in 13 Asia-Pacific markets between May and June. China had 13 percent.
According to the survey released yesterday, the most frequently visited regions for business travel were China (23 percent), Singapore (16 percent) and Hong Kong (13 percent).
Designed to monitor business and personal travel trends among the urban middle class, the report polled consumers in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Taiwan wasn't even ranked in the report, something that did not surprise industry insiders.
"Taiwan is short of international exposure and a complete set of marketing strategies," said Johnny Tseng (
He said the government must address the need to make Taiwan better known to international tourists. One key strategy to boost the nation's marketing is to place color brochures about Taiwan's main tourism routes at overseas hotels, he said.
"I rarely get Taiwan-related information from hotel lobbies when I travel abroad. In contrast, the Japanese and Thai tourism bureaus have done well in this regard," he said.
"If the nation's image is not publicized, how can travel agencies promote their packages?" he asked.
The Tourism Bureau desig-nated this year as "Visit Taiwan Year" and budgeted NT$1 billion to promote the country. It hopes to attract 3.2 million foreign visitors. Last year there were 2.2 million foreign visitors.
Accusing the agency of being too bureaucratic, Tseng said it has gone overboard with exhibitions aimed at creating a short-term increase in inbound tourists. He said such efforts would not invigorate the tourism industry.
"We want a continued string of foreign travelers to boost the nation's leisure industry, not just ribbon-cutting ceremonies at travel expos," he said.
Tseng said cooperation between government and industry could help reduce the costs of flights, accommodation and related items, making Taiwan more competitive in the region.
Victor Lin (
"The availability of public transportation, integration of road signs and establishment of hostels could help reduce the difficulties such travelers might encounter, thereby boosting their willingness to visit the nation," he said.
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