The Tourism Administration yesterday unveiled four grand strategies that it said would help grow the value of the national tourism market to NT$1 trillion (US$30.8 billion) by 2028.
The government plans to draw more overseas tourists by establishing Taiwan as a reputable spot for touring and fostering more tourist hotspots across the nation, agency Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting.
The agency aims to draw 10 million international tourists to the nation this year and see 200 million domestic visits, which would create NT$360 billion and NT$540 billion in tourism value respectively, Chou said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The government aims to increase the number of international tourists and domestic visits by 1 million and 5 million respectively every year, he said.
If the government can achieve these goals for four consecutive years, there would be 14 million international tourists and 220 million domestic visits by 2028, with a total value exceeding NT$1 trillion, Chou said.
The agency hopes to integrate travel plans and hotspots that appeal to different tourist groups, as well as increase the value of “smart tourist areas” to keep up with international trends such as sustainability and digitization, Chou said.
The agency would promote these four policies through its 16 overseas offices, he added.
Ongoing policies include establishing Taiwan tourism service desks in half of those overseas branches, with a special focus on Paris, he added.
The Paris branch established tourism service desk last month in the hopes of making travel to Taiwan more visible to people visiting Paris for the Olympics, he said.
Regarding domestic travel, Chou said the bureau hoped that local governments would work together to promote regional tourism spots.
“We hope local governments take measures to enhance qualities or characteristics that make the area truly unique,” Chou said, adding that regional tour sites should have tourist centers to assist international travelers.
Executive Yuan spokesman Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) quoted Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as saying that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications should continue its efforts to promote tourism to draw more international visitors and meet this year’s goal of drawing 10 million international tourists.
Cho also said that starting tomorrow, the Executive Yuan would promote policies to revitalize tourism in Hualien County after the April 3 earthquake.
Per the policy, the Tourism Administration would provide subsidies for tours, room and board for independent travelers, and fares for the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle and Taiwan Tour Bus programs.
The policy is expected to spur travel to Hualien for 2.33 million independent travelers and 160,000 group travelers, creating a total tourism value of NT$12.6 billion, the agency said.
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