Independent tourists from abroad can still buy two high-speed rail (HSR) tickets for the price of one this year, as the special offer has proven successful in encouraging people to travel to central and southern Taiwan, the Tourism Administration said on Tuesday evening.
The agency’s tourism marketing strategy is under scrutiny, as it aims to attract 10 million international visitors this year and its cash incentive program for independent travelers is set to expire in June.
The “buy one, get one free” deal for high-speed rail tickets was “very well-received among international visitors last year and encouraged many of them to travel to central and southern Taiwan,” Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) told reporters.
Photo courtesy of Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp
“Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp offers many railway tour packages, and we believe the special offer is very attractive to international tourists,” he said.
Chou said the agency would focus on increasing the number of tourists from North America and Japan this year.
It would tap into the tourism market for young Japanese travelers, including students who go on overseas school trips, he added.
As such, the agency is considering a partnership with Japan Railway to introduce a “Youth 18” railway travel pass, Chou said.
The agency also aims to increase the number of tourists who come to Taiwan for meetings, conferences, exhibitions or incentive tours organized by companies.
Aside from attending to their work, these travelers can have a brief tour if they come a few days earlier or stay a few days afterward, he said.
“We are also discussing with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Affairs the possibility of waiving or reducing the sales tax for foreign travelers, and hosting a coffee festival in Taiwan,” he said.
Last year, international tourists came mainly from five countries or areas: 1.32 million from Japan, 1.29 million from Hong Kong and Macau, 1.01 million from South Korea, 655,000 from the US and 470,000 from the Philippines.
Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Trust Lin (林信任) attributed the significant bump in US tourist numbers to increased flights between the US and Taiwan offered by Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Starlux Airlines.
A cash prize draw of NT$5,000 (US$152) is very popular among tourists from the Philippines, Hong Kong and Macau, as it can cover part of the cost of their airfare, Lin said.
Aside from opening a Taiwan Tourism Information Center in Seattle and Amsterdam this year, the agency is planning to open one in Rome next year, Chou said.
It is mulling ways to draw European tourists transiting through Thailand to Taiwan, he said.
“We hope all flights operating before the COVID-19 pandemic could fully resume this year, such as those between Taipei and Mumbai,” he said.
To boost the number of international tourists to Taitung County and Kenting National Park, the agency would encourage more tourists from Southeast Asia to enter and exit through Kaohsiung, he said.
The Tourism Administration added that it plans to spend NT$300 million in the next two years to building an “academy of tourism,” which would be in charge of proposing tourism policies through strategic planning and data analysis, as well as training professionals for the nation’s tourism industry.
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