Outlook
Tourism2020—Taiwan Sustainable Tourism Development Plan
The Tourism Bureau continued to implement a program involving five strategies to create an innovative, sustainable, localized, and happy industry, diversify and add value in the tourism industry, and provide a safe environment to fulfill tourism social responsibility. This program aimed to develop and diversify international markets and strengthen the base of domestic tourism and make Taiwan an important “friendly, smart, and experiential” tourist destination in Asia. These initiatives also sought to actively create a positive cycle of tourism development in Taiwan and spur the development of the local economy and peripheral industries.
Expanding Experiential Tourism
Established accessible travel environments at 13 national scenic area administrations based on the travel route concepts and universal design techniques.
Promoted “Year of Bay Tourism” in 2018 and strengthened Taiwan’s island tourism charm. A contest was held to select 10 islands and generate online buzz for the successful international marketing of the “10+ Offshore Islands of Taiwan.” To enhance awareness of coastal resource conservation, a total of 97 joint beach, mountain, and river cleanup activities were organized. Tese events attracted more than 30,000 participants and removed 90,000 tons of trash. In addition, 41 featured bay activities were held, attracting over 12.08 million participants, creating more than NT$5.7 billion in economic benefits
Assisted with indigenous tribal tourism branding, identified indigenous specialty products, and established marketing channels for such products.
Promoted the “Experiential Tourism: Brightening up the Village” demonstration project, combining local culture, art, industry and tourism features to promote local tourism.
Implemented the “Cross-border Spotlight Plan” providing guidance to local governments in the establishment of distinctive, unique, and thematic international tourism and recreation highlights.
Developing Smart Tourism
Established a big data database integrating tourism industry information networks, utilized tourism multimedia databases, and strengthened big data analysis and application to improve tourism information.
Established the iTravel a mobile service trip planning system and added functions for self-planned itineraries on the Tourism Bureau website and Tour Taiwan app.
Continue to enhance the quality of Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Taiwan Tour Bus, and Information Station services.
Guiding Industry Transformation
Promoted travel industry branding and e-commerce operations and assisted tourism operators with e-commerce business.
Provided guidance to the hotel industry to strengthen evaluation mechanism, publicize brands, adopt international room reservation systems, and strengthen regulation of illegal businesses to strengthen travel safety.
Strengthened key personnel training and training for guides fluent in rare languages and introduced a licensing system.
Invigorating Domestic Travel
Continued to promote a new National Travel Card system, assist travel agencies in the development of in-depth, specialty, and highquality tour packages, and create opportunities in the tourism industry
Strengthened publicity of the Taiwan Tourism New Year Calendar. Major events in Taiwan were used to strengthen city marketing with local characteristics and promote “cross-area, overnight travel.” In 2018, the Taiwan Tourism New Year Calendar comprised 95 events, including 47 international-class events and 48 national-level events. Tese events attracted an estimated 58.6 million visitors and generated initially estimated economic benefits of approximately NT$44.98 billion
Introduced subsidies for revitalization of Hualien and southern Taiwan bay areas, warm winter travel, and other measures to expand domestic tourism and steadily enhance local tourism development.
Expanding and Diversifying Markets
Adopted an expansive-defensive strategy in global tourism markets involving focal development in Japan and South Korea, advancing into New Southbound Policy markets, and defending market share in Europe, the US, and China.
Actively developed local characteristics and diverse, thematic, and in-depth experiential free independent travel to generate tourism benefits throughout Taiwan.
2017
Year of Eco Tourism
2018
Year of Bay Tourism
2019
Year of Small Town Ramble
2020
Year of Mountain Tourism
2019 Year of Small Town Ramble
In line with the global trend of sustainable tourism development, the Tourism Bureau promoted the “Tourism 2020: Taiwan Sustainable Tourism Development Plan” and designated travel themes for each year between 2017 to 2020. The theme for 2019 was “Small Town Ramble.”
Thirty classic towns in Taiwan were recommended by counties and cities and selected through an online vote and expert review. These towns were selected for distinctive features, including hot springs, cuisine, old streets, industries, diversity, culture, and creativity. The Tourism Bureau also partnered with the Council for Hakka Affairs to recommend ten Hakka towns and four world-class slowtravel destinations selected by international certification bodies, for a total of 40 towns. The project involved an inventory town resources, readiness of service quality, indepth small town experiences, and small town marketing and promotions to create small town brands, spur small town in-depth travel, attract more domestic and foreign tourists, and drive local revitalization and economic development.
Centered on the tripartite concept of “production, land, and people,” the Tourism Bureau identified locally distinctive tourism resources and small town stories. Local industries were linked and activities designed for in-depth travel experiences and packaged into in-depth tourism products to balance regional development and develop local youth services.
Domestic Marketing
- Produced the Taiwan Small Town Ramble Passport and electronic passport.
- Made 40 e-brochures introducing classic towns, with tourist maps and tour experiences.
- Held the “100,000 Youth Award One Million Creative Tour Competition.”
- Introduced painted trains in small towns to create a small town travel environment highlighting the unique character of the towns.
- Held two international forums on small town travel.
- Used high-tech digital media – 3D images, produced 360-degree VR videos on small towns.
Overseas Marketing
- Partnered with Sanlih Entertainment Television to promote small town tourism in Taiwan through the “Mr. Player” program.
- Produced five international promotional videos on the themes of international slow travel, northern, central, and southern Taiwan, eastern Taiwan and outlying islands. .
- Introduced 2019 tourism highlights to travel agencies in overseas areas served by the Tourism Bureau’s overseas offices.
- • Arranged exposure through overseas travel shows, promotional activities, and presentations
- Invited foreign travel agencies and media to Taiwan for Fam visits and news coverage.
- Arranged promotions through major overseas print and electronic media channels.
