Taipei is seeking to attract visitors from Muslim-majority Asian nations, as part of its promotion of this year’s Summer Universiade, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said on Sunday.
Ko said the major markets for tourism in the region are Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asian countries and predominantly Muslim countries.
The two main goals of his visit to Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and New Delhi are to conduct city-to-city diplomacy and observe the work of other city governments, Ko said before boarding a flight at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
However, Ko said he would also seek to encourage people from Southeast Asia and Muslim-majority countries to visit Taipei for the Universiade, which runs from Aug. 19 through Aug. 30.
“Malaysia is a predominantly Muslim market, Thailand is a Southeast Asian market and India is a huge market with a population of 1.3 billion,” he said.
He said he would also discuss city-to-city cooperation in the areas of smart cities and information technology.
Ko yesterday hosted a tourism promotion event in Kuala Lumpur, where he said the city has been working to attract Muslim visitors by increasing the number of Halal-certified restaurants and holding Eid al-Fitr celebrations for the local Muslim community.
Taipei has also published a travel guide aimed specifically at Muslim visitors, he added.
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