The number of visitors traveling between Taiwan and Japan is expected to exceed 5 million this year as the two countries step up their efforts to promote tourism, a Taiwanese official said yesterday.
Tourism Bureau Director-General David Hsieh (謝謂君) said that Taiwan and Japan are good at presenting their cultures, histories and sports activities as tourist attractions.
Hsieh, who is in Yamagata for the first Taiwan-Japan Summit on Tourism, said that through further bilateral exchanges, the number of visitors traveling between the two countries is expected to rise from about 4.6 million last year to more than 5 million this year.
Taiwanese visitors to Japan accounted for 2.97 million of the 4.6 million visitors, which suggests that one in eight Taiwanese visited Japan last year, Hsieh said.
He said that while Japan’s overall number of outbound travelers fell by 15 percent last year, the number of Japanese visitors to Taiwan increased 3.3 percent.
Taiwan has become a top destination for Japanese tourists, Hsieh said.
At the tourism summit, Japan Travel and Tourism Association chairman Norio Yamaguchi said he was grateful to the large number of Taiwanese tourists who visit his country.
Last year, Taiwanese tourists made up the highest proportion of visitors to Japan, the association said.
He also extended a special thanks to Taiwanese for their support during the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami that devastated Japan.
Yamaguchi presented certificates of honor and gifts to Hsieh and Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA) chairwoman Janice Lai (賴瑟珍), and Taiwanese Representative to Japan Shen Ssu-tsun (沈斯淳).
Hsieh said the summit would help improve cooperation between Taiwan and Japan in the tourism industry though exchanges, particularly among younger people.
As part of the exchanges, Taiwan will send a team of chefs to Japan in July, with the assistance of the TVA, to promote Taiwanese cuisine.
In addition, a model of the Taipei 101 skyscraper is to go on display in October in Tobu World Square, a popular tourist location in eastern Japan.
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