The nation has more than 100 unofficial information stations to assist domestic and international tourists, in addition to the more than 100 visitor information centers located in airports and some of the large transport hubs, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.
Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General Wayne Liu (劉喜臨) said that even though the bureau has set up automated information kiosks, it was still considering how it can supply travel information at shops frequented by tourists.
“We are not asking shop owners to do much. All they have to do is offer a small amount of extra services, whether it is allowing visitors to access their Wi-Fi, use their restrooms or set up quick charge stations for mobile phones. The service would then become part of people’s lives, and travelers could better understand the local culture through what they have experienced on the streets,” he said.
Liu said that unofficial information stations can give international travelers a sense of safety while traveling in Taiwan, adding that Japanese travelers have voted safety as the most important factor when choosing a holiday destination, and they voted Taiwan as the safest place to travel in the world.
Liu said the bureau in December last year started to enlist more shops to become information stations and the number of such stations has grown from about 20 to 115.
Apart from police stations and convenience stores, locales serving as information stations range from tea houses and traditional Taiwanese pastry stores, to hostels and small independent grocery stores, the bureau said.
The bureau said that some of these shops have been around for many years and they also provide stories about local life.
The House of Kuo in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林),has been open since 1930 and was a place where couples decided when they would get engaged according to their birthdays or the number of strokes in their Chinese names.
The house was bought by Taiwanese pastry chain Kuo Yuan-Ye Foods Co this year, which then turned the house into a pastry museum.
Visitors can find useful travel information at the museum and also taste green bean cakes or read about the history of Shilin District, the bureau said.
Another example is Ming Yi-Tang Incense Store in Taoyuan which is run by third-generation owners, brothers Chen Ding-hsien (陳鼎憲) and Chen Chun-han (陳俊翰).
They said that the store has attracted many Western tourists who are interested in the temples in Taiwan and the tradition of ancestor worship.
The Hsin Hsin Hotel in Miaoli City also attracts visitors, as the hotel is located near the Miaoli Railway Station. Having inherited the hotel from their grandparents, the third-generation owners are now known for creating sheep-shaped folded comforters.
To find travel information stations nationwide, visitors can log on to http://taiwan-askme.tw for a list of information stations and directions.
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