The government would target the Indian corporate incentive market in a bid to reach its target of 10 million annual tourists to Taiwan, Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Trust Lin (林信任) said yesterday.
However, to achieve that aim, direct flights to India need to resume, he said.
Flights were canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic and have not been relaunched, and this has made travel between the two countries not as convenient as before, Lin said.
Photo: Tsai Yung-jung, Taipei Times
In the interim, to spur tourism from India, the administration set up a Taiwan Tourism Service Office in Mumbai earlier this year, and participated in India’s business travel exhibition, he said.
“On June 20 this year, we invited operators from the Indian tourism industry to Taiwan for the first time,” Lin said.
Before the pandemic, one Indian enterprise originally planned to have 4,000 employees come to Taiwan, he said, adding that the plans had to be canceled due to COVID-19.
“Taiwanese electronics brands are also very popular in India, and there are many local suppliers. If an Indian business planned a trip to Taiwan, it would bring a lot of tourists,” he said.
Lin said that the Tourism Administration has been busy promoting incentive travel in many overseas markets, hoping to attract companies to travel to Taiwan.
“However, a big problem facing the Indian market in particular is that direct flights have not yet resumed, and that is something we will have to work on,” he said.
Separately, regarding tourism subsidies for domestic travel to earthquake-hit Hualien, Lin said that the details have yet to be worked out, but he encouraged the public to travel there more.
Asked whether Yilan would also be included as an eligible destination for subsidies, Lin said that it was unlikely.
Over the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend, Yilan’s booking rate is close to average, and its performance during the peak tourist season has been “very good,” he said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and determine whether Yilan will be included,” he added.
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