Implementation of Tech-based Services
Travel Information Services
Front-line services at international gateways
Provided consulting services in various languages and displayed a variety of promotional materials for visitors.
Taiwan Tourist Information Website
Taiwan Tourist Information Website
Taiwan Tourist Information Website (https://www.taiwan.net.tw/) is a national tourism portal introducing Taiwan. The site uses online and mobile spatial location information to pinpoint user location and deliver location-based tourism information on visitor sites, festivals, dining, shopping, accommodation, travel guides, and recommended tours. The site is available in 11 languages, including Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, German, French, Russian, Spanish, Malay, Indonesian, and Thai. It also incorporates responsive web design to enable browsing on mobile devices.
iTravel mobile app
iTravel (web version) Mobile Guide Service
The Tourism Bureau released the "iTravel" mobile app(https://itravel.taiwan.net.tw) in eight languages (Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, and Malay). The app combines the convenience of tourism website searches with location-based services. It provides domestic and foreign visitors with tour suggestions and information on small town travel, attractions, cuisine, accommodations, and festivals. The system also suggests public transportation, self-driving, bicycle, and walking to help domestic and foreign visitors select the best way to visit attractions in Taiwan.
The Tourism Bureau established the Taiwan Tourism Information Database.
The database contains more than 25,000 tourism-related geographic information system (GIS) records freely available to the industry in an open format without need for application. The records include data on attractions, restaurants, hotels and homestays, activities, trails, and other tourism information and can be used by the public to develop value-added applications.
i-center Travel Service System
- Objective: Provide travel information and professional consulting services to create a friendly and convenient travel environment.
- Expansion of service points at four levels: Visitor information centers at international airports (Level 1), guidance to governments in establishing "i" logo service centers at transportation hubs (Level 2), guidance in establishing "i" logo service centers at national scenic area administrations under the Tourism Bureau, and information stations in various locations (Level 4).
- Achievements: There are 112 i-center service locations throughout Taiwan, including three international airport centers, 55 visitor information centers, and 54 visitor centers.
Information Stations
- Principles: Develop diversified services according to the region and locality and rooted in the Taiwanese "Ask me" spirit of hospitality.
- Service promotion:
- Assisted local specialty product stores, homestays, travel agencies, tourism factories, museums, police stations, and other units in providing localized travel information and basic consulting services.
- Integrated local transportation information through search portals and travel apps to create local travel information platforms.
- Provided free WiFi and Chinese, English, and Japanese language mobile websites so FIT visitors from other countries can conveniently download walking maps for the areas around Information Stations.
- Achievements: More than 573 Information Stations had been established by the end of 2019.
Travel Tech Value-Added Applications
Capturing Taiwan tourism in virtual reality images
Taiwan's natural attractions, food, events, and cultural beauty were captured in virtual reality (VR) images with 360-degree video technology. The images provide raw material for editing and production as 3D VR and 360-degree panoramic videos. They will also be used for marketing and promotion at domestic and international travel fairs, overseas offices, and national scenic areas. These resources will enable visitors from around the world to immerse themselves in the beauty of Taiwan, enhancing promotional benefits to attract foreign visitors to Taiwan.
Filming an AR video of Taiwan's geological landscapes
The lifelong research results of prominent local and foreign geologists were brought together in a 3D, augmented reality (AR) video capturing the geologic beauty of Taiwan at 10 locations in northern Taiwan and 15 locations in the east, including the Nanya Rock Formations and Liji Badlands. This short video describes the evolution of Taiwan across millions of years from its birth to the present in a succinct and lively style, illustrating earth science knowledge with animation and AR and 3D technology. The video has educational value in the areas of environmental and ecological sustainability. The Tourism Bureau hopes to cooperate with other government departments and primary and secondary school textbook publishers to promote the video through its inclusion in course materials and off-campus instruction.
Holding the Tourism Innovation and Tech Awards
Venture capital teams and universities from Taiwan and abroad were invited to share their creative ideas for the Tourism Innovation and Tech Awards. Incubation awards were presented to outstanding teams to encourage the development of innovative Taiwan tourism applications and build cooperation among domestic tourism-related industries, technology innovators and developers to attract international travelers to Taiwan through enhanced travel experiences and innovative services. More than 140 teams participated from 12 countries. Award-winning teams participated in the ITB Asia International Travel Exhibition to publicize Taiwan’s technology and tourism image and heighten the visibility of the Tourism Innovation and Tech Awards. The awards will be held again in 2020 to stimulate private-sector creativity from around the world to develop innovative tourism service applications, enhance transnational talent exchange, and promote the more vigorous development of domestic smart tourism applications.
Establishing a Tourism Big Data Platform
The Tourism Bureau is collecting a variety of data for big data analysis of participation in special activities by ethnicity, profile, and behavioral preferences. The findings will serve as a reference in policy planning, industrial transformation, precision marketing, and improvement of tourism services. The bureau will also regularly conduct rolling reviews as required and continue to add external data to increase the benefits of the big data platform.
