Officials yesterday launched the Taiwan Culinary Exhibition at the Taipei World Trade Center to burnish the nation’s profile as a tourist destination.
The event is runs through Monday next week.
President William Lai (賴清德) at the festival’s grand opening said that gastronomy is a central feature of Taiwanese culture, as evidenced by the standard Hoklo greeting: “Have you eaten yet?”
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
The exhibition allows visitors to taste Taiwan’s signature regional flavors and brings attention to culinary establishments that deserve broader recognition, he said.
Taiwanese cuisine, cultural heritage, natural scenery and hospitality are parts of the government’s policy to develop the nation’s tourism industry and soft power, Lai said.
The nation last year welcomed 8.6 million foreign tourists, and the Cabinet has proposed a plan to integrate tourism attractions across Taiwan proper, he said.
The administration’s policies aim to grow the number of foreign tourists visiting Taiwan to 10 million a year and the value of the tourism sector to NT$1 trillion (US$30.96 billion) by 2030, he said.
Paraguayan President Santiago Pena Palacios, who recently visited Taiwan, praised Taiwanese cuisine, showing that food can create friendships, Lai said.
Taiwan Visitors Association chairwoman Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) said the event showcases Sanhsin scallions (三星蔥) and sugarcane-smoked duck from Yilan; abalone from New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮); and black rice and yam from the black earth of the Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪).
These dishes are unique, created from the soil and wind conditions in a specific locality, she said.
During the first quarter, the hospitality industry served 18 million guests, including 13 million domestic tourists, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said.
The number of foreign tourists visiting Taiwan is increasing by the hundreds of thousands per year since the easing of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chen said.
Among international visitors, 20 percent were from the West, and 30 percent were from Japan and South Korea, he said.
The number of US tourists increased by 9 percent, those from the Philippines rose by 20 percent, and the number of Italians and French visitors grew by double-digit percentage points, Chen said.
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