The Executive Yuan has projected that an estimated NT$6.8 billion (US$216.73 million) would be spent next year on promoting tourism to Taiwan in countries covered by the New Southbound Policy, a source said on Friday.
Part of the budget would include an estimated NT$600 million for advertising on public transportation in the 18 countries targeted by the policy, the source said.
Training sessions for industry operators looking to tackle the ASEAN and Indian markets, and to promote academic exchanges with those countries, would also be held, the source said.
The Ministry of Education is expected to budget NT$1.1 billion for training personnel and courses, and NT$366 million for youth academic exchanges and visiting academics programs.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to budget NT$332 million for international conferences in the countries as part of the Yushan Forum, the source said.
The forum was created as a platform for regional dialogue on society, culture, technology and youth engagement, and focuses on bolstering economic, social and cultural ties between Taiwan and the Asian-Indo-Pacific region, Prospect Foundation chairman Mark Chen (陳唐山) has said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council is to budget NT$334 million, of which NT$214 million would be used for student recruitment among members of the Taiwanese and Chinese communities in New Southbound Policy countries, as well as for Mandarin-language training programs in those countries.
In the face of restrictions by Beijing on individual Chinese travelers to Taiwan, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to commit an additional NT$370 million toward tourism advertising in the countries covered by the policy, the source said, adding that it would also budget NT$230 million for the promotion of the countries among industry operators.
The Tourism Bureau has said that it would work with Internet celebrities and advertising companies on its ad campaigns in these countries, and would place ads in public transportation networks and on TV.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs is to budget NT$2.35 billion for the “development of markets in countries targeted by the New Southbound Policy and the improvement of the global image of Taiwanese products,” the source said.
The NT$6.8 billion is an initial estimate of what is to be spent across 22 ministries and government agencies, but could change as portions of some ministries’ budgets might need to be recategorized, the source said.
However, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations has already asked ministries to revise their budgets and expects them to increase slightly, the source added.
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