The Tourism Administration has intensified marketing campaigns in Japan after the East Asian country was ranked the top source of international visitors to Taiwan in the first quarter of this year.
Of the 2,049,917 people who visited Taiwan from January to March, 348,913 were from Japan, administration data showed.
Hong Kong and Macao placed second with 320,988 visitors, followed by South Korea with 316,958, the data showed.
Photo: CNA
The number of Japanese visitors increased 155.92 percent from the same period last year, the administration said.
Regarding tourism advertising in Japan, the administration participated in marketing events in Tokyo and Nagoya in April and May respectively, and formed a delegation to organize marketing events in Fukuoka, Osaka and Kobe before summer began, targeting potential tourists in the Kansai region.
Kansai International Airport and Fukuoka Airport were each accessed by more than 20 million passengers last year, and ranked third and fourth respectively in terms of airport usage in Japan.
The passport holding rate of Osaka residents was ranked third in Japan.
A survey conducted by Nippon Travel Agency and Expedia, which was released last month, showed that Taiwan ranked second most popular overseas travel destination among Asian countries for this summer vacation.
That shows Taiwan’s secure and safe travel environment is deeply rooted in the hearts of Japanese, the administration said.
The tourism agency said it held a Taiwan Tourism Promotion Conference in Fukuoka on Friday last week.
There Japanese travel industry operators were introduced to Taiwan’s scenic spots and other tourism resources, Taiwanese chefs prepared xiaolongbao (小籠包, steamed buns) for the guests, and the Tiger Theater Troupe put on a Chinese yo-yo performance, the administration said.
More than 100 Japanese business operators attended the conference, it said.
On Saturday and Sunday, the administration arranged roadshow activities in front of Hakata Station in Fukuoka, and around Osaka’s Umeda subway station and a subway station in Kobe, it said.
It also put together the Taiwan Pavilion at the Kanto Tourism Expo in Osaka it said.
Visitors to the pavilion could buy Taiwanese pineapple cakes, dry noodles and other delicacies, it added.
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