To deliver accurate and immediate information to travelers visiting the Alishan area, the Headquarters has designated tour guide volunteers to provide guiding services; established visitor centers, regional information stations, and information stations; set up a smart tourism travel portal; installed live-streaming cameras to provide instant dynamic images; and created official accounts on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, to offer a new, smart, and customized travel experience to travelers of different ages and groups. Moreover, we have established the Alishan EASY GO e-commerce platform, allowing travelers to freely select and purchase travel goods, plan their travel routes, and directly receive specially selected goods from Alishan. In the meantime, we have been proactive in promoting tourism festivals throughout the four seasons, organizing annual activities, and enhancing our public relations with the media to facilitate the promotion of tourism. We have adopted the following measures:
1. Alishan tourist advisory and guided tour services
To enhance the quality of visitor services, the Headquarters has designated tour guide volunteers to provide guiding services at visitor centers (Chukou, Wenfeng, and Yuantan) and stations offering mobile tourist information (Chukou Route and Fengqihu Route), among others. All staff at the visitor center possess English conversational proficiency to assist foreign travelers. Moreover, we have volunteers proficient in Japanese, German, and other languages to support us in delivering online advisory services.
Furthermore, to cover areas beyond the reach of the visitor center's advisory services, the Headquarters has established 8 information stations to expand the scope of travel advisory services. We also offer travelers and groups a guided tour reservation channel, maximizing our efforts in preserving culture while enhancing our competitiveness in the tourism and travel sectors.
2. Planning the smart tourism travel portal
To provide accurate and timely travel information about the Alishan area, the Headquarters has planned and launched a smart tourism travel portal to meet the specific needs of travelers. In 2019, the new responsive tourism portal was launched and obtained the barrier-free label. The new portal that features live streaming from 7 scenic spots in the region (Eryanping Trail, Taiping Suspension Bridge, Fengqihu, Chukou Visitor Center at the Headquarters, Sheng Le Farm, Niubu Aberdeen Prairie, and Lichia Information Station) allows instant access to the splendid landscape of Alishan through real-time imagery. This not only attracts domestic and foreign travelers to visit Alishan but also, along with promotions through online social media, provides travelers of different ages and groups with smart and customized website services. The increased exposure of Alishan’s travel information also expands the promotional benefits of annual events and the tourism website.
3. Promoting local folklore activities
Considering the unique natural, cultural, industrial and Considering the unique natural, cultural, industrial, and contextual resources in the region, we have centered our approach around promoting “exquisite, in-depth, and niche" travel to conceptualize the six key tourism themes – ecology, indigenous culture, romance, tea, coffee, and railways – in promoting distinctive festivals and events in Alishan. We have been arranging various annual activities throughout the year, including “Alishan's Tea Festival in Four Seasons”, “Cherry Blossom Season”, “Wisteria Blossom Season”, “Firefly Season”, “The Second Episode of the Wedding Under the Sacred Tree – The Wedding Under the Starlight”, “Tsou People’s Bean of Life Festival”, “The Wedding Under the Sacred Tree”, “Alishan Tsou Annual Festival”, and so on. We also engage in strategic partnerships with local industrial counterparts, working collaboratively to enhance the visitor experience and provide insightful guidance for a profound exploration of the Alishan National Scenic Area's rich natural and cultural wonders. It is our expectation not only to cater to the needs of visitors to Alishan but also to foster local pride within the tourism industry. Through collaborative efforts, we strive to achieve the dual objectives of “ensuring visitor satisfaction and increasing industry profitability”.
4. Facilitating tourism publicity
The Headquarters consistently takes a proactive approach by publishing press releases, accepting interview invitations from news media, and collaboratively organizing field surveys for new scenic spots and travel destinations. These efforts are aimed at effectively promoting emerging attractions and landscapes within the Alishan Scenic Area.
To enable travelers to delve into the tourism resources and activities of the Alishan Scenic Area, the Headquarters provides the latest information to news media and issues e-news on an irregular basis. Additionally, we have been organizing Alishan industrial matching events; participating in domestic travel exhibitions; engaging in cross-domain collaborative marketing with The Greater Alishan Industrial Alliance (Alishan EASY GO), the 235 Regional (Chiayi) Tourism Union, and the Caoling Regional Tourism Development and Industry Alliance; and collaborating with local farmers' associations to promote agricultural products and souvenirs, aiming to digitalize and internationalize the marketing of the Alishan area.