Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the Taipei International Travel Fair for the first time this year, while Paraguay and the Solomon Islands have decided to return after nearly a decade, hopeful for more travel exchanges with Taiwan.
Tourism Support Office of Sarajevo Director Faruk Caluk said that the nation hopes to capitalize on emerging travel interest to the Balkans.
“Visitors have already seen a lot in Paris and London, the big destinations. They are trying to see something new,” Caluk said.
Bosnia and Herzegovina has started to see more Taiwanese visitors, he said, adding that with flight connections provided by Turkish Airlines, Taiwanese can make swift transits from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Istanbul and on to Sarajevo.
Embassy of the Solomon Islands in Taiwan Secretary Wang Yen-ting (王妍婷) said that after participating in the Taipei Tourism Exposition last year, the nation decided to further promote travel ties with Taiwan and attend the travel fair for the first time since 2008.
“It is a pity that although we are diplomatic allies, the Solomon Islands only sees about 50 Taiwanese visitors a year,” Wang said.
Wang said the embassy hopes to double that number next year through a partnership with a local tourism agency that is promoting a combined travel package for Australia’s Brisbane and the Solomon Islands.
Considering the increasing number of business partnerships with Taiwan, Paraguay has decided to return to the fair after a 10-year hiatus, Promotion Department of Paraguay Tourism Office head Juani Quevedo said.
“We would like to start promoting tourism between the two countries again,” she added.
There are 950 exhibitors from 68 nations participating in this year’s fair, according to the Taiwan Visitors Association, which organizes the event at Exhibition Halls 1 and 3 of the Taipei World Trade Center that started on Friday and closes tonight.
There were 74,863 visitors on the show’s opening day, up 2 percent from last year, the association said, adding that the four-day event will likely surpass last year’s 361,000 visitors and NT$3 billion (US$99.1 million) in sales.
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