The tourism sector is seeking to capitalize on the annual Taipei International Travel Fair to keep the momentum of revenge consumption alive into next year with travel packages to Japan and South Korea proving the most popular products, companies said yesterday.
Travel agencies, airline companies, hotels and government organizations from Taiwan and abroad are taking part in the four-day trade fair that is being held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center’s Hall 1 until Monday.
Lion Travel Service Co (雄獅旅行社) is offering discounts on more than 200 products, with “maple leaves sightseeing tours” to Japan topping sales this quarter, the Taipei-based company said, adding that pent-up demand appears strong for this seasonal product.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Several surveys showed that Japan is still the most favored travel destination among Taiwanese travelers and the yen’s depreciation has lent support to the fever.
South Korea also ranks high, as Taiwanese fans visit sites, eateries and retailers featured in hit South Korean drama series.
It is premature to expect tour prices to decline in the first quarter of next year given the keen interest in overseas travel, as well as higher international oil and labor costs, travel service operators said.
Ezfly International Travel Agency Co (易飛網), a major online travel agency, attributed the hikes in airfares in part to the limited recovery in aviation capacity.
Apart from fall foliage tours, skiing packages to Japan and South Korea are gaining traction in the winter, Ezfly said, as the company has sold a sizeable number of cherry blossom sightseeing tours for next spring.
In addition, Taiwanese today prefer smaller group tours of 20 to 30 people, from 35 to 40 participants in the pre-COVID-19 pandemic era, it said.
EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said airfares average 50 percent higher from 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic and he is upbeat that the uptrend would be sustainable next year.
EVA and its affiliates have taken up 20 booths at the exhibition hall, and provide flights and travel packages to different destinations at discounts of up to 28 percent to boost sales.
China Airlines Ltd (中華航空) said flight tickets to Japan’s Osaka and Tokyo, as well as South Korea’s Seoul, enjoy the best sales.
The airline is looking at a 20 to 30 percent increase in ticket sales to Thailand after the Southeast Asian country this week announced a visa-waiver program for Taiwanese travelers.
Travel booking platform Klook (客路) said that itineraries such as New Year’s Eve in Bangkok and the Songkran festival are rapidly gaining in popularity, dashing its earlier worry that spiking tour charges would scare away visitors.
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