Indians are always on a lookout for new travel destination, one which is easy on the pocket and also has plenty to satiate their travelling needs – Taiwan is all this and more. In India recently on a multi-city tour, Dr Trust Lin, Director, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Singapore office, amidst good travel trade and media turn out shared his plans and strategies to take tourism in the country to new heights and attract more Indian visitors to see all that Taiwan has to offer. Here’s BOTT exclusive on the same.
Priyanka Saxena Ray
Accompanied by their India partners Ritushri Dhankher and Reem Khokhar, Representatives, Taiwan Tourism Bureau – India, the evening saw Taiwan not just showcase its touristy attractions but also delve in detail on connectivity both to and within the destination. From visa formalities (which is as easy as filling up a coupon online) to detailing about the various attractions the destination has to offer, there is a lot that one can do in Taiwan.
“We were aiming for a 20% growth in visitor arrivals in 2020 but we have already received a 40% growth so we are very positive about the year ahead. It is a compact island and China Airlines offers direct flight from India thrice a week while we are working on increasing the connectivity. We have excellent infrastructure in Taiwan and it is a great value for money destination with many Indian vegetarian restaurants spread across coupled with great shopping options,” said Dr. Trust.
A compact island where you can travel from north to south in just 96 mins on a speed boat, Taiwan has many treasures to offer. It is a great adventure hub brimming with activities such as cycling, diving and more besides being one of the most popular cruising hubs in the region. It is the second largest cruise market in Asia. Dotted with many theme parks, green parks, activities such as Hot Air Ballooning, Taiwan is a great family holiday destination, offering something to people of all age groups.
“Currently we have 41,000 Indian visitors visiting Taiwan. We would love to see this number increase. Taiwan is an all-year round destination, except may be the time of Chinese New Year. A visitor should come for a minimum of three nights to experience the varied offerings of the destination. While the destination is currently being serviced by China Airlines, Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific, we are looking at some more new airlines to fly into Taiwan. We are a new destination in the market and I feel that competition around in a good thing,” concludes Dr. Trust.
While advertising, both online and offline remains a strong focus of Taiwan Tourism Board (TTB) to increase the inflow of tourists, the board will also work closely with airline partners for more joint marketing campaigns to bring more Indian tourists to Taiwan. To target business travellers, TTB will continue to promote MICE tourism, which saw a 40.6 per cent on-year growth in February. To boost tourist numbers, TTB earlier this year unveiled its new vision for the Indian market. Titled “2 20:20”, the strategy will target 2 per cent of India’s high-income earners and, by cooperating with the top tour operators in India, aim to drive tourist arrivals up 20 per cent by 2020.
The roadshows in this round covered cities of New Delhi, Kolkata and Hyderabad. The next set of roadshows will be held in Chennai, Bengaluru and Mumbai between August and October 2019.
