InternationalBuyers Dress Up as Master Chefs to Win

Limited-EditionBravo the Mascot Souvenirs

TAIPEI, TAIWAN - MediaOutReach - 20 September, 2018 - According to new statisticsreleased by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation andCommunications, the number of visitors to Taiwan from the countries ofSoutheast Asia in the first half of 2018 broke through the 120,000 mark, growthof 17% over the same period last year. Thailand is one of the strongest sourcemarkets. Since visa-free entry was offered to Thai travelers as part of the NewSouthbound Policy in August 2016, growth inthe numbers of visitors to Taiwan from Thailand has been pronounced. The numberof travelers in 2017 was 292,534, double the number recorded in 2014, clearlydemonstrating surging interest in Taiwan travel in the Thailand market. Inaddition to expansion of the general tourist market, corporate incentive travelis another area of opportunity that requires active initiatives. This year,after sending promotional teams on July tours to a number of Southeast AsiaMICE markets (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia), from September 18 to 20 theDepartment of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government has had a team inBangkok, Thailand attending IT&CMA 2018. At this large-scale annual AsiaMICE gathering, the team has endeavored to attract the attention of moreSoutheast Asia international buyers.   

International buyers taking part in a funWheel of Fortune disk-spin show learned more about Taipei's Michelin cuisine, andcompeted to win pineapple cakes, a favorite Taipei souvenir, and limited-editionBravo Kuai Kuai Birthday Gift Snack Bags. 

At negotiations and in a press conference, Chun-Chieh Hsiao, ChiefSecretary with the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei CityGovernment (DOIT), introduced Taipei's diversified incentive-travel sponsorshipprogram to international buyers, along with the Taipei Double DeckerSightseeing Bus service and Taipei Fun Pass. Taipei is also now an officiallyrecognized Michelin culinary bastion, and in order to create deeper impressionspromoting Taipei among international buyers, during the exhibitioninternational buyers were invited to don chef hats and aprons at the Taipeistand and take part in a Wheel of Fortune disk-spin show challenge. Using thisimplement from traditional culture to create a Wheel of Fortune fun game, internationalbuyers got to know the cuisine from Michelin's Taipei BIB Gourmand selections.In order to win the pineapple cakes that are one of Taipei's most popularsouvenir purchases, along with the limited-edition Taipei City mascot Bravo KuaiKuai Birthday Gift Snack Bags on offer (Bravo is Taipei's cute bear mascot),the buyers competed with great gusto, the lively atmosphere making the Taipeistand one of the focal points of the exhibition.      

Chun-Chieh Hsiao stated that as a result ofthe granting of visa-free entry to visitors from Southeast Asia, there were 44cases under DOIT's MICE incentive-travel sponsorship program last year. Thisyear, as of September there have already been 47 incentive-travel applications.Over the past two years 90% of incentive-travel applications have been forSoutheast Asia incentive-travel groups, demonstrating that Taipei City hasbecome the latest hot incentive-travel destination for Southeast Asiaenterprises. In November this year an incentive-travel group from aninternationally renowned Malaysian direct-sales enterprise is coming to Taipei,consisting of 1,000 outstanding employees. They will be in the city for a 5day, 4 night visit consisting of incentive travel and a business conference,and will stay at famous Taipei hotels for the duration (Far Eastern PlazaHotel, Sunworld Dynasty Hotel, Capital Hotel, Fullerton Hotel, etc.). As partof their itinerary the entire group will visit the Chiang Kai-shek MemorialHall to practice tai chi, take in the city's famous sightseeing attractions,browse and shop in its commercial districts, and at night sample local snackdelicacies at night markets. It is hoped that this incentive-travel tourexperience will bring new creativity and inspiration to the employees of thiscompany. In addition, DOIT has specially prepared 1,000 exclusive tailor-madeEasyCards for members of the incentive-travel group, each with NT$200 inadditional stored value. This will enable group members to fully enjoy theconvenience of traveling around the city, and even more fully experienceTaipei's charms. It is estimated that this group will bring NT$41 million intourism-industry value to Taipei City (see Note). The consumption power ofgroups from direct-selling enterprises is impressive, and in the future DOITwill systematically seek to lure such incentive-travel groups to Taipei.

According to the "Annual Survey Report on Visitors'Expenditure and Trends in Taipei" for 2017 released by DOIT, 90% of overseastourists who visit Taiwan visit Taipei City. At this particular exhibition, itwas demonstrated that there is high satisfaction among international buyerswith Taipei's transportation convenience and the overall tourism experience,and that Taipei City has already established a firm position in the Asia MICEmarket. The processing of applications for the 2019 DOIT MICE sponsorshipprogram are expected to be handled in the period from November 1 to 30, 2018.Elsewhere, the official opening of Hall 2 at the Nangang Exhibition Center isset for March of 2019, and the curtains will go up at 5 new internationalhotels in the Greater Taipei Area by the end of this year (Courtyard byMarriott, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton Hotel, Just Palace Hotel, Hilton TaipeiSinban). The year 2019 will be one of upgrading for Taipei's meeting/exhibitionhard and soft infrastructure, further strengthening the city's advantages andcompetitiveness.

Note: According to the "2017 Annual Survey Report on Visitors'Expenditure and Trends in Taipei" for 2017 released by DOIT, the averagespending for visitors in Taipei for sighsteeing is US$274.29 per person perday; with the incentive-travel group in question staying 5 days, and using anexchange rate of NT$30 for US$1, the tourism-industry value will be anestimated NT$41,143,500.