The nation is expecting to record 9.5 million foreign tourist arrivals this year as the tourism industry continues to thrive, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday at the opening of the country’s biggest travel fair.
Taiwan has become one of the world’s top travel destinations because of its gourmet food, great scenery, medical services, beauty treatments and friendly people, Ma said.
He said the number of foreign arrivals this year is likely to surpass last year’s 8 million, given the strong foreign tourist arrival growth rate of 26.7 percent in the first six months of the year — the highest growth worldwide.
Photo: CNA
At the fair, Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) said the tourism industry would strive to provide more in-depth and diverse travel packages, improve promotion strategies and upgrade staff training.
The fair is being held until Monday at the Taipei World Trade Center’s Halls No. 1 and No. 3, with 950 exhibitors from 60 countries and regions participating, organizers said.
There are 1,450 booths at the fair, compared with 1,350 last year, and approximately 320,000 people are expected to attend the event over the four-day period, the Taiwan Visitors Association said.
Japan tops the list of exhibitors by quantity, with 141 booths, due to increasing travel exchanges between the two countries, the association said.
The industry is optimistic about outbound travel to Japan, due to depreciation of the yen and more seats being provided by airlines flying between the two countries.
According to figures from the Japan National Tourism Organization, a record 1.9 million Taiwanese visited Japan during the first eight months this year, up 400,000 compared with last year.
Meanwhile, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau said the nation is likely to see even more visitors from the Chinese market this year.
Bureau Director-General David Hsieh (謝謂君) said more than 3 million Chinese tourists could visit Taiwan this year, compared with nearly 2.9 million last year.
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