The Tourism Bureau was officially redesignated the Tourism Administration yesterday, with Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) vowing to collect regular feedback and expand the international tourist market.
Speaking at a ceremony to unveil the plaque for the agency, Chou said that it would enhance collaboration with the tourism industry, be responsive to the sector’s needs, accelerate recovery of tourism and convene experts to help with strategy.
The team would include Lion Travel Services Co (雄獅旅行社) chairman Jason Wang (王文傑) and Formosa International Hotels Corp (晶華國際酒店集團) chairman Steven Pan, he said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The agency would also boost its collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Education, the Hakka Affairs Council and the Council of Indigenous Peoples, Chou said.
Academic cooperation with the tourism industry is to be enhanced under the Tourism Administration’s guidance, especially to solve a labor shortage, he said.
Middle-aged and elderly people rejoining the workforce and university students should be targeted for recruitment, as they can attract tourists across age groups and improve the quality of service, Chou said.
Taiwan needs to double down on efforts to restore the nation’s exchange of tourists with Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines, he said.
Tourism service centers and other facilities should be developed in connection with pleasure cruises to South Korea’s Busan, and prospective destinations in Indonesia and India, Chou said.
Taiwan would also welcome the resumption of cross-strait travel, he said.
Additionally, the Tourism Administration is to launch a joint effort with the Taiwan Visitors’ Association to draw big-spending tourists from the EU and UK, he said.
Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said he hopes Taiwan and China can restart tours simultaneously, adding that the number of visitors should be capped at 2,000 for now.
The Executive Yuan would do what it can to address the lack of workers in the tourism industry by convening ministries, Cheng said
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said that Taiwan would welcome Chinese visitors and his ministry has made preparations to receive tourists from across the Taiwan Strait.
Separately, the Central Weather Bureau was also officially redesignated as the Central Weather Administration (CWA).
The weather agency said in a news release that its mission is to obtain and make use of new technologies enabling it to have a positive impact on the public, help society and serve national interests.
It would continue to provide crucial weather data and would strive to play a larger role in scientific research into climate change, it said, adding that a joint project with the National Science and Technology Council is being prepared.
Wang Kwo-tsai was cited as saying that while the reorganization did not increase the weather agency’s personnel, the transportation ministry intends to support it in the acquisition of supercomputers and new weather stations.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
NO CHANGE: The TRA makes clear that the US does not consider the status of Taiwan to have been determined by WWII-era documents, a former AIT deputy director said The American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) comments that World War-II era documents do not determine Taiwan’s political status accurately conveyed the US’ stance, the US Department of State said. An AIT spokesperson on Saturday said that a Chinese official mischaracterized World War II-era documents as stating that Taiwan was ceded to the China. The remarks from the US’ de facto embassy in Taiwan drew criticism from the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, whose director said the comments put Taiwan in danger. The Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday reported that a US State Department spokesperson confirmed the AIT’s position. They added that the US would continue to
The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency as well as long-term residency in Taiwan has decreased, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday, adding that the reduction of Chinese spouses staying or living in Taiwan is only one facet reflecting the general decrease in the number of people willing to get married in Taiwan. The number of Chinese spouses applying for dependent residency last year was 7,123, down by 2,931, or 29.15 percent, from the previous year. The same census showed that the number of Chinese spouses applying for long-term residency and receiving approval last year stood at 2,973, down 1,520,
EASING ANXIETY: The new guide includes a section encouraging people to discuss the threat of war with their children and teach them how to recognize disinformation The Ministry of National Defense’s All-Out Defense Mobilization Agency yesterday released its updated civil defense handbook, which defines the types of potential military aggression by an “enemy state” and self-protection tips in such scenarios. The agency has released three editions of the handbook since 2022, covering information from the preparation of go-bags to survival tips during natural disasters and war. Compared with the previous edition, released in 2023, the latest version has a clearer focus on wartime scenarios. It includes a section outlining six types of potential military threats Taiwan could face, including destruction of critical infrastructure and most undersea cables, resulting in
RSS