The Tourism Bureau and Google Taiwan jointly launched a competition yesterday to encourage travelers around the world to share their travel stories about Taiwan and upload the videos to YouTube.
The competition, called “Anytime for Taiwan-Film Taiwan, Action!” is to run for a year.
Competitors need to upload their videos through the “Film Taiwan” section of the Tourism Bureau’s YouTube channel to qualify for first prize, a round-the-world trip.
Photo: CNA
Videos can be about anything from Taiwanese festivals, culture and shopping to local scenic spots.
Meanwhile, the Tourism Bureau is to offer discounts on travel costs in Taiwan at the rate of NT$1 per vote for the videos.
Bureau Director-General David Hsieh (謝謂君) said that the aim is to show Taiwan on the global stage through the competition.
“The tourism industry plays a significant role in Taiwan’s economic development,” Hsieh said.
“We believe this global campaign is the best of two worlds, leveraging technology to bring innovation to the tourism industry... We welcome travelers around the world to upload their videos to YouTube to win an opportunity to become tourism ambassadors for Taiwan,” he said.
Competitors can upload Taiwan travel videos of up to five minutes in length to www.youtube.com/user/taiwanbesttrip before Aug. 15 next year.
In the first round of the competition, 10 entries will be shortlisted, based on the number of votes they receive. The winner is to be picked in a second round of voting.
Hsieh said YouTube has about 1 billion users, and one cannot underestimate the power of communication that can be generated through the video-sharing Web site.
Google managing director for the Greater China area Scott Beaumont said the competition is to help export Taiwan’s beauty to the world.
Statistics from the bureau showed that the number of international visitors to the nation topped 8 million last year and is forecast to reach 9 million this year.
The bureau also found that tourists from overseas found tour information through print media, television and radio broadcasts, but a majority looked online for information on Taiwan.
As a test, the Tourism Bureau uploaded a video to YouTube of a foreigner sharing his views on Taiwan on Tuesday night. It had been viewed more than 10,000 times by yesterday.
Additional reporting by CNA
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