The Tourism Administration yesterday announced a NT$10 billion (US$334.12 million) investment through 2030 to boost tourism to southern Taiwan, including the nation’s outlying islands.
Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) made the comment at a forum in Japan’s Tottori Prefecture, saying that the plan is designed to draw more foreign tourists to areas that are not visited as much as places in Taiwan’s north.
The plan, dubbed Smiling Southern Taiwan (微笑南台灣), encompasses most of the nation’s subtropical territories, Chou said.
Photo: Lin Tsuei-yi, Taipei Times
It would allocate funding to museums of the arts and history in the south, he said.
It would also direct additional funding to places that showcase natural scenery or local culture, Chou said, adding that it has received provisional support from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
Tainan would receive NT$300 million in subsidies to thematically link Hatta Yoichi Memorial Park (八田與一紀念園), Wusanto Reservoir (烏山頭水庫), Zengwen Dam (曾文水庫) and hot springs in the area, and establish a visitor’s center for a proposed greenway at Taijiang National Park (台江國家公園), he said.
Hualien County would receive NT$300 million to improve the Yufu Biking Trail (玉富自行車道) in Yuli Township (玉里) and infrastructure for tourism in the county’s mountains, he said.
The agency would improve infrastructure at Kenting National Park in Pingtung County to boost visitor comfort and convenience, and build attractions revolving around fishing, as well as diving and other watersports in Penghu County, he said.
Taiwan’s target for this year is to draw 300,000 more Japanese to visit Taiwan than last year, Chou said.
The agency does not expect the goal to be easy to achieve, he said, adding that 1,319,892 Japanese visited Taiwan last year, up 42.2 percent from 2023, when travel was limited by restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
An additional 300,000 Japanese arrivals would represent a 22.7 percent annual increase, well above the 6.6 percent increase achieved in the first half of the year, he said.
Japanese tourism to Taiwan has recovered to just 60 percent of pre-pandemic levels, he said, adding that the depreciating yen has dampened enthusiasm for travel.
Taiwan Visitors’ Association chairwoman Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) said that it was important to enhance Taiwan’s appeal to international visitors and focus on quality experiences rather than purely numerical targets.
Chou and Chien attended the annual forum in Yonago from Thursday to today. They traveled on Tigerair Taiwan’s inaugural flight to the city.
Yonago is Tigerair’s 22nd destination. It has flights between the city and Taiwan every Monday and Friday.
Next year’s forum is to be held in Miaoli County.
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