The curtains closed earlier this month at the Taipei International Travel Fair, which had a special exhibition highlighting tourism to diplomatically aligned countries. Guatemala’s and Paraguay’s ministers of tourism traveled more than halfway across the world to help host the project. Tourism and travel are a form of diplomacy that does not require foreign affairs staff, and Taiwanese heading to ally countries helps our nation’s diplomatic staff immensely by fostering abundant people-to-people ties.
Palau is the only island nation in Oceania with direct flights to Taiwan. China Airlines twice this year raised the number of direct, four-hour flights to Palau to up to four round-trip flights per week. There are several five-star resorts in Palau that have Taiwanese investments, while transportation, food and lodging are convenient.
Palau has pristine waters, beautiful coral reefs and beaches replete with abundant marine life. Its balmy year-round climate paired with its stunning waters has earned it the nickname “God’s aquarium.” It is a must-experience destination for water activity enthusiasts.
China banned its citizens and tour groups from heading to Palau, using tourism as a weapon for bullying and suppressing our friend in the Pacific. This is a call for us to save our diplomatic relations. Instead of Japan’s Okinawa and Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island, if more island getaway lovers and Taiwanese tour groups headed to Palau and spent their money there, we could help stabilize and sweeten our ties with our ally.
Guatemala, our Central American ally and one of the fair’s cohosts, is home to one of the grandest and most impressive ancient Mayan city ruins — Tikal National Park — which is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site.
Paraguay, our ally in South America, has the famed Iguazu falls, which forms part of its border with Argentina. The cataracts are some of the largest in the world and are listed as one of the world’s New Seven Wonders of Nature.
Guatemala and Paraguay are blessed with one-of-a-kind travel experiences, but the challenging issue for Taiwanese travelers is the distance needed to reach them, with the need to change planes and spend long stretches of time flying. At first glance, it might appear as if trekking such great distances is not worth the time and money.
However, compared with the tall order of physically traveling to our diplomatic allies, buying products from them could not be easier, and Taiwanese can do this every single day. If you cannot push yourself to get on a few planes and spend a day or two traveling, then you could at least conduct some gustatory diplomacy.
Here is a great example: Guatemala is a mountainous country composed mostly of highlands with more than 30 active volcanoes. It has topographical conditions that make it an absolute powerhouse for quality coffee. You do not even have to leave Taiwan — you can go to a Taisugar-owned retail store or China Petroleum Co-owned gas station to enjoy a cup of premium Guatemalan coffee.
The latter has more than 200 drive-through locations throughout Taiwan, and a single cup of premium, single-estate coffee would only put you back about NT$50. Just one cup a day of our ally’s coffee products would go a long way in helping deepen our economic ties.
Apart from great coffee, Guatemala is also a massive producer of macadamia nuts. Meanwhile, Paraguay has succeeded in marketing its high-quality beef products in Taiwan. Our allies’ agricultural products are worth our attention and enjoyment. We can also do so with our non-diplomatic allies, such as the Czech Republic, renowned for its beer varieties, and Lithuania’s excellent chocolate and other delectable treats. Their products are highly competitive. Adding friendly ties to warm up our relations, we could brew ourselves some robust ties on a people-to-people level.
We are voting for the kind of world we want to live in with every purchase we make. Let us support our friends and allies.
Chen Yung-chang is a freelance writer based in Taipei.
Translated by Tim Smith
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