Kaohsiung needs to spend more effort developing its tourism industry, which would also benefit local industry, the American Chamber of Commerce in Kaohsiung (AmCham Kaohsiung) says in its first white paper, which is scheduled to be released on Thursday.
The report, which focuses on Kaohsiung city and county, is based on 1,737 questionnaires the chamber sent to companies beginning last year to collect views and suggestions on the business environment in the south.
AmCham Kaohsiung president Brian Aiello said the merger of Kaohsiung city and county into a special municipality by the end of the year would present not only difficulties and challenges, but also many opportunities.
Aiello said Taiwan is one of the most beautiful islands he has ever been to and that Kaohsiung should do more to understand what will really attract foreign tourists and meet their expectations.
A tourism industry that relies on Chinese tourists would be “fragile,” he said, adding that the visit of Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama affected tourism in Kaohsiung for several months last year.
To develop local tourism, Aiello said, signs at popular tourist spots should carry three languages — Chinese, English and Japanese.
Aiello said he hopes the white paper will help southern Taiwan build a friendlier business environment and attract more foreign investment in the high-tech, green technology and tourism industries.
Aiello said that AmCham Kaohsiung would expand its survey area to other regions in the south next year.
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