A Hebrew-language pamphlet featuring Taiwan’s major tourist attractions has been published in Israel as part of Taiwan’s efforts to attract more Israelis to Taiwan.
Taiwan’s representative office in Tel Aviv invited influential figures in Israel’s travel and media industries to a function on Thursday to mark the launch of the new Taiwan travel guide.
With a scenic tea farm on its cover, the booklet introduces a list of must-see tourist spots around Taiwan, including Taipei 101, Sun Moon Lake and the National Palace Museum.
Hsieh Chi-lung (謝麒龍), information division chief at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Tel Aviv, said that although Israel has a relatively small population of about 7 million, its citizens make nearly 4 million trips abroad each year.
YOUNG TRAVELERS
Young Israelis are especially interested in traveling abroad as they receive a stipend after completing their compulsory military service, Hsieh said, adding that many of them then go backpacking in India, China and Thailand.
“Given our special cultural heritage, natural beauty and gourmet cuisine, Taiwan should be able to attract Israeli travelers if we step up publicity efforts,” Hsieh said.
Miriam Zairi, an Israeli staffer at Taiwan’s representative office in Tel Aviv who studied Mandarin Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University between 2006 and 2007, made a notable contribution to the publication of the travel guide, Hsieh said.
CONTRIBUTION
“Zairi translated a Chinese-language travel guide on Taiwan into Hebrew to help Israelis better understand Taiwan,” Hsieh said. “Hopefully, the pamphlet will help Israeli citizens who visit our office to apply for visas or other documents come to a better understanding of Taiwan’s beauty and tourist resources.”
Orly Spagnul, an Israeli travel fair organizer, said that if Taiwan and Israel signed a working holiday agreement like the ones Taiwan has signed with Japan, Australia and New Zealand, it would be of great help in promoting bilateral tourist exchanges.
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