Taiwan has reached remarkable tourist achievements, with more than 7 million visitors last year, making tourism the nation’s fourth-largest industry, Radio Taiwan International said. That shows Taiwan’s rising popularity as a tourist destination, not only because of its natural beauty and cultural landscape, but also due to shifting approaches to tourism. One of the effective ways to continue that pace is by improving existing places and providing new, innovative events that entice international and local visitors.
Kaohsiung Wonderland, which took place between Jan. 25 and Feb. 16 at Kaohsiung Pier (高雄港), had huge balloons with anime-inspired designs which went viral on social media, despite little government support. The festival demonstrated the potential of artsy, highly visual attractions in generating strong tourism interest at minimal promotional cost. Taiwan could host innovative, themed events without much additional cost and use social media to drive exposure.
International cultural festivals in Taipei have also been successful in drawing people. The annual Taiwan Lantern Festival has found a permanent place in the nation’s calendar. Those events strengthen the cultural identity of Taiwan, while enticing people from abroad. However, the government should also look beyond bringing in tourists and at how events could promote small businesses and local entrepreneurs.
A key area for improvement is integrating small enterprises into Taiwan’s event economy. Major events such as festivals and exhibitions tend to prefer established foreign brands and tourism operators, making it difficult for smaller enterprises to be noticed. To reverse that trend, the government could engage with small enterprises by providing free or subsidized vendor booths for big events.
In music and cultural festivals, local food businesses and craft vendors could be given priority booth spaces to sell their products. In themed events, such as Kaohsiung Wonderland, small businesses handling anime products, cosplay merchandise, or Taiwanese-Japanese fusion foods could be accommodated rent-free. Mass tourist events could also source event materials, such as decorations, foods and souvenirs, directly from domestic craft workers and small-scale producers so a portion of event spending could enter the local economy.
By incorporating small enterprises into mass-tourism activities, Taiwan could redistribute economic benefits more evenly so wealth disparity would be lessened without negatively affecting from local businesses. That does not require a lot of money; just a shift in event organization to prioritize local participation.
Rotating seasonal and thematic events is another way spaces could be maximized. Rather than stand-alone festivals, Taiwan could use the same venues for different types of events throughout the year. That would ensure repeat tourist visits from locals and foreign visitors, so tourism could be an economic force that is more stable and predictable.
Taiwan has already proven that it can draw in foreign visitors through big events and cultural attractions. To achieve maximum economic value from tourism, the government needs to do more than just hold events — it needs to involve local enterprises, maximize the use of venues throughout the year and encourage social media-driven organic growth.
Instead of relying on new infrastructure or expensive campaigns, Taiwan could renovate districts to appeal to different audiences at different times of the year. By nurturing small businesses during tourism events, the country could generate sustainable development and ensure that the benefits of a flourishing tourism sector filter down to a greater segment of society.
Ezkiel Tjandra is a student in the Department of International Affairs at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.
The government and local industries breathed a sigh of relief after Shin Kong Life Insurance Co last week said it would relinquish surface rights for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) to Nvidia Corp. The US chip-design giant’s plan to expand its local presence will be crucial for Taiwan to safeguard its core role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and to advance the nation’s AI development. The land in dispute is owned by the Taipei City Government, which in 2021 sold the rights to develop and use the two plots of land, codenamed T17 and T18, to the
Taiwan’s first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed on Tuesday evening at a hog farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲), trigging nationwide emergency measures and stripping Taiwan of its status as the only Asian country free of classical swine fever, ASF and foot-and-mouth disease, a certification it received on May 29. The government on Wednesday set up a Central Emergency Operations Center in Taichung and instituted an immediate five-day ban on transporting and slaughtering hogs, and on feeding pigs kitchen waste. The ban was later extended to 15 days, to account for the incubation period of the virus
The ceasefire in the Middle East is a rare cause for celebration in that war-torn region. Hamas has released all of the living hostages it captured on Oct. 7, 2023, regular combat operations have ceased, and Israel has drawn closer to its Arab neighbors. Israel, with crucial support from the United States, has achieved all of this despite concerted efforts from the forces of darkness to prevent it. Hamas, of course, is a longtime client of Iran, which in turn is a client of China. Two years ago, when Hamas invaded Israel — killing 1,200, kidnapping 251, and brutalizing countless others
Art and cultural events are key for a city’s cultivation of soft power and international image, and how politicians engage with them often defines their success. Representative to Austria Liu Suan-yung’s (劉玄詠) conducting performance and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen’s (盧秀燕) show of drumming and the Tainan Jazz Festival demonstrate different outcomes when politics meet culture. While a thoughtful and professional engagement can heighten an event’s status and cultural value, indulging in political theater runs the risk of undermining trust and its reception. During a National Day reception celebration in Austria on Oct. 8, Liu, who was formerly director of the
RSS