Expecting consumers to be undeterred by macroeconomic uncertainty, travel agencies said their revenues at the nation’s largest annual travel fair, which opens today, could rise by as much as 20 percent from last year’s fair.
Richmond Tours (山富旅遊) forecast that its total receipts would amount to NT$100 million (US$3.3 million) during the Taipei International Travel Fair, from the more than NT$80 million it made at last year’s fair.
James Lee (李慶良), senior general manager at Richmond, said consumers have flocked to book tours for the nine-day public vacation during the Lunar New Year holiday in January.
“Demand for trips to Europe and the US is strong. Our Lunar New Year trips are half full now and they should all be sold out by the end of this month,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference yesterday promoting the travel fair.
Lee said many Taiwanese are eager to travel in January and they appear undisturbed by the fact that some local enterprises have started asking employees to go on unpaid leave amid a faltering global economy.
Lion Travel Co (雄獅旅行社) echoed Lee’s views.
The travel agency, which targets mid to high-end clientele, said it expects its revenues at this year’s fair to grow from last year’s NT$200 million.
Lion Travel spokesman Nelson Chou (周化宇) said customers have reserved packaged tours for the Lunar New Year holiday since late last month and trips to Europe have also been very popular as people look to make the best use of the long holiday.
The recent floods that have submerged parts of Thailand — a favorite destination for Taiwanese — have taken a toll on the travel business, but it was quickly made up by customers switching tours to Malaysia or the Philippines, he said.
Formosa International Hotels Corp (FIHC, 晶華國際酒店集團) — the nation’s largest listed hotel operator, which runs the Regent Taipei (晶華), Silks (晶英) and Just Sleep (捷絲旅) — has enjoyed robust sales, even before the travel fair begins.
To warm up for the fair, FIHC held a three-day online discount promotion from Monday and it said sales on the first day alone hit more than NT$15 million as people rushed to purchase discounted dining coupons and book cheap accommodation at its various hotels.
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