The Taipei International Travel Fair is holding its annual show next month at the Nangang Exhibition Center, with more than 1,700 participants from over 60 countries seeking to attract customers and ramp up business, despite an economic slowdown.
The most high-profile event for the travel and tourism industry is to take place from Nov. 8 to 11, as the government struggles to mitigate the impact of China’s ban on individual tourists visiting Taiwan.
“The active participation by domestic and foreign companies shows the importance they assign to the local tourism market,” event organizer the Taiwan Visitors Association said.
Photo: Courtesy of Taiwan Tourism Bureau
The trade show last year drew 376,773 visitors, an increase of 2.66 percent from 2017, bucking expectations of a decline because of fast-growing competition from e-commerce platforms.
Japan — Taiwanese travelers’ favorite destination — has booked 175 booths for this year, while South Korea is holding a cultural travel exhibition, aided by celebrity endorsers, the organizer said.
The Solomon Islands, which switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing last month, has signed up for the event, as well as companies from Brazil and Argentina, it said.
Montenegro and Northern Cyprus are to join the travel fair for the first time.
Chinese travel service providers will not take part in the show for the third consecutive year, the organizer said.
Central and local government agencies will boost their presence to promote domestic travel, it added.
Major hospitality groups have announced discount offers to drive up sales for this quarter and beyond.
Landis Hospitality Group (麗緻餐旅集團), which operates six hotels across Taiwan, is to offer special promotion packages at up to 70 percent off regular charges, with an aim to boost sales by 10 percent.
“The annual fair was a key growth driver in the past and hopefully would do the same this year,” Landis food and beverage manager Gary Lo (羅明威) said.
Landis Resort Yangmingshan (陽明山中國麗緻大飯店) and Wulai Pause Landis Resorts (璞石麗緻溫泉會館) are likely to benefit, as winter is the high season for hotels with hot spring facilities, Lo said.
Cosmos Hotel & Resorts Group (天成飯店集團), which runs nine hotel and restaurant brands in Taiwan, is to highlight its luxury facility, Grand Cosmos Resort Ruisui (瑞穗春天國際觀光酒店) in Hualien, with special packages priced from NT$9,900 per night, or 72 percent off price tags, the Taipei-based company said.
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