The New Normal Tourism Action Plan
The end of the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a key development phase for Taiwan's tourism industry. In line with the "2050 Net-zero Emissions" goal underlined by the President at a sustainability summit, Taiwan's post-pandemic tourism strategy will advance toward sustainable and green tourism with a three-pronged approach involving "product optimization, upgraded service, and strategic development."
Product Optimization
Digital Transformation
Strengthening Industry Digitalization
Travel Agencies: The Tourism Bureau promoted the "Travel Industry Development Promotion Plan" to stimulate brand development and enhance development in the travel industry. Through a platform consisting of national tourism business associations and tourism public interest organizations approved by the Tourism Bureau, the plan aimed to increase the digital operation capabilities of tourism operators and enhance cross-sector data utilization. Seventeen projects received subsidies to advance industry upgrading and service transformation in 2022.
Hotels: The Tourism Bureau released the revised "Guidelines on Subsidies to Incentivize Hotel Quality Improvement," extending the subsidy scope to "initial purchase of self-service check-in counters." Hotel operators received ongoing guidance on the implementation of hotel management systems to strengthen digital operations and industry development. In 2022, subsidies were granted to 74 hotels.
Amusement Parks: The amusement park industry received assistance toward meeting objectives in terms of innovation, smart operations, safety, and sustainability. Through quality enhancement plans, the Tourism Bureau encouraged the adoption of digital technologies to deliver innovative services and diverse experiences. More than 25 measures for amusement park service and facility safety were carried out in 2022. Through interactive digital modes, amusement parks deployed augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) tech to create immersive experiences. More than 25 digital services and facilities were developed to enhance the tourism experience.
Promoting Smart Technology at Tourism Destinations
In 2022, the Tourism Bureau introduced measures to monitor and manage visitor and vehicular traffic at national scenic areas to track holiday congestion at specific tourist hot spots. In 2023, these measures will be expanded to accomplish real-time crowd control and diversion at popular attractions with the help of smart management systems.
Broad-based Utilization of Big Data Analysis
The Tourism Bureau offers a big data-powered dashboard that enables administrative agencies to monitor real-time visitor flows at popular attractions. This enhances their ability to respond to alleviate crowding during peak visitor periods. In 2022, the bureau installed digital dashboards at 100 visitor sites. This data will also be analyzed to assist in issuing visitor overflow alerts and providing information on topics such as visitor preferences, origin and spending patterns.
Training
Tourism Professional Training
The Tourism Bureau arranged pre-employment training for tour guides and tour managers, travel industry managers, and middle/senior-level tourism professionals to enhance competitiveness and service quality and strengthen professional knowledge and abilities. The bureau also launched the Tourism Occupational E-Learning Academy website to provide industry insiders with 24-hour access to online learning materials and foster digital and professional skills in the tourism industry. In 2022, about 13,000 people participated in tourism industry training programs.
Alleviating Hotel Human Resource Shortages
The Tourism Bureau partnered with the Ministry of Labor (MOL) in a program to match job seekers with employment opportunities in the hotel industry. From May to the end of November 2022, hotel operators reported a total of 7,083 job vacancies to the MOL. In addition, various recruitment measures were implemented to help hotel operators meet human resource shortages. The bureau also assessed the feasibility of employing foreign workers as hotel housekeepers to ease labor shortages.
Hotel Branding
Promoting a New Evaluation System for Hotel Star Ratings
The Tourism Bureau launched a new star rating system for hotel evaluations on July 1, 2022. The new customer-centric system replaced a two-stage evaluation with a one-stage (unannounced) evaluation, with a focus on differentiating hotels by service level, in line with international practices. The evaluations cover "building facilities" and "service quality." They also score "value-added services and sustainability," including green building and eco-friendly hotel certifications.
Promoting Bicycle-Friendly Accommodations
The Tourism Bureau launched the "Bicycle-Friendly Hotel Mark" program to promote low-carbon travel and encourage locals to travel by bicycle. The program offers guidance to hotel operators in providing bicycle-friendly parking spaces and cleaning and maintenance areas to resolve the challenges of accommodating guests with bicycles. In 2022, over 5,000 hotels received assistance in becoming bicycle-friendly, further creating an environment for bicycle-friendly accommodations in Taiwan.
Green Tourism Certification
Green Hotel Certification
To lead the domestic hotel industry toward sustainable development, the Tourism Bureau provided phased guidance to encourage hotel operators to apply for green hotel certification under the "Green Hotel" and "Green Mark Hotel" programs of the Environmental Protection Administration, Executive Yuan, and the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's (GSTC) CU-GSTC International Sustainable Hotel Certification programs, according to their different characteristics and application conditions.
Promoting Certification of Environmental Education Venues
In 2022, ten amusement park operators were certified as environmental education venues through the "Subsidy Program for Quality Optimization in the Amusement Park Industry" and annual operational management supervision and evaluations. The Tourism Bureau continued to encourage the amusement park industry to align with international green tourism supply chains, adopt the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Criteria, obtain Green Destination certification, and promote sustainable green tourism.
Promoting Green Destination (GD) Certification
The Tourism Bureau formulated sustainable tourism development goals through a liaison platform that gathers information on areas such as natural landscapes, cultural heritage preservation, and ecological conservation resources at national scenic areas (NSA). These efforts are conducted in cooperation with community and business activity alliances related to responsible tourism. The Northeast Coast and Sun Moon Lake NSA headquarters received Green Destination (GD) Gold and Silver Awards, respectively, while the Southwest Coast NSA received the 2022 GD Top 100 Good Practice Stories Award. In 2023, five scenic area headquarters are applying for related GD certifications, Top 100 Global Sustainable Tourism Stories Awards, and certification of global standards for sustainable travel and tourism.
The Tourism Bureau promoted low-carbon scenic areas by encouraging boat electrification at Sun Moon Lake, with an aim to replace 27 diesel-powered boats with electric versions by 2031. The bureau also promoted the Xiaoliuqiu Eco-Learning Island through initiatives such as the "Liuqiu Travel Cup," tableware rental, and a raincoat recycling program to reduce plastic waste.
The Tourism Bureau promoted four-season travel and crowd control/diversion measures to keep recreational activities within capacity at offshore island destinations, including Penghu, Matsu, Xiaoliuqiu, Green Island, and Guishan Island, as well as visitor hot spots in NSAs.
Upgrading Services
Products
Strengthening Management of Emerging Recreational Activities
Campsite Management: The MOTC issued Campsite Management Guidelines to regulate the campsite application process, with equal attention to promoting camping activities and protecting public land. In the future, the ministry will cooperate and share tasks with local governments under the principle of "management mechanisms set by the central government, with joint guidance and execution by local governments." Campsites meeting regulatory conditions will be actively assisted in registering and establishing legal operations.
Water Recreation Activity Management: With the rising popularity of water recreation in Taiwan, the Tourism Bureau continued to conduct joint rolling reviews with water recreation management authorities. This facilitates the development of diverse and safe water recreation resources through enhancing management and supporting the opening of new facilities.
National Greenway Promotion: The Tourism Bureau selected gold-level itineraries at national greenways and encouraged travel agencies to develop distinctive and in-depth packaged tours. This includes the following efforts: 1) the development of the Danlan National Greenway themed network, which is jointly promoted via seven packaged tours offered by three travel agencies; 2) the introduction of 14 ticket packages by the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle system linking attractions along shuttle routes; and 3) the issuance of e-passports by the Northeast Coast National Scenic Area Administration for the Danlan Historic Trail (Northern, Central, and Southern routes), which are integrated with the Danlan Hiking Carnival during the Sword Grass Season along the Caoling Historic Trail.
Promoting Regional Tourism Circles
To sustain the benefits of tourism circles, the 13 NSA headquarters under the Tourism Bureau brought together local organizations and industry partners to form regional tourism industry alliances. In 2022, a total of 17 tourism circles were established. The new circles aim to attract international travelers and restore pre-pandemic tourism levels through rolling adjustments to dining, accommodation, sightseeing, shopping, and transportation products. Guidance was also provided to help tourism circles develop sustainable, autonomous operations.
Friendly Travel in Taiwan
Taiwan Tourist Shuttle: The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service has brought travel into the online consumption and mobile payment era with its "digital products and multiple payment options." In 2022, the service introduced QR code mobile payment and ticket verification services on routes (excluding the Beitou-Zhuzihu route).
Taiwan Tour Bus: In 2022, guidance was provided to help 26 operators transition 89 itineraries towards "themed, immersive experiences."
Taiwan Pass: The four cards selected in 2022 were: 1) Central Taiwan (Nantou, Hsinchu, Miaoli, and Chiayi), 2) Kaohsiung City, 3) Taitung County and 4) Taipei, New Taipei and Keelung. The cards were marketed as "International Classic" and "Deeply Cultivated Distinctive" packages and sold as multi-themed tour products in collaboration with tourism circles. Card sales exceeded NT$140.93 million in 2022.
Senior Tourism Promotion
Establishing a High-Quality Senior Tourism Brand: In view of the world's rapidly graying population and the tourism potential of travelers aged 60 and over, the Tourism Bureau created the "Golden Years" brand for senior tourism marketing. On August 24, 2022, the bureau held the "2022 Golden Years Senior Tourism Forum" to help support development of creative senior tourism products for different markets. Eight model senior-friendly itineraries were planned and marketed internationally. The tours featured elements carefully selected for the promotion of senior-themed travel, with ongoing optimization and integration of marketing efforts. Three large-scale marketing campaigns were arranged that included Fam tours highlighting themes such as class reunion trips that are targeted toward creating new opportunities for senior tourism.
In response to the graying of Taiwan's population, the Tourism Bureau released the "Guidelines for Tourism Bureau, MOTC Subsidies to Assist the Travel Industry in Organizing Senior and Accessible Travel" on July 4, 2022. The guidelines provide incentives for travel operators to design package tours integrating accessible facilities and attraction resources for senior and accessible travel.
Promoting All-Ages-Friendly Amusement Parks
In 2022, the Tourism Bureau provided guidance to tourist amusement enterprises under an annual integrated marketing plan aimed at enhancing the diversity and uniqueness of amusement parks features and integrating the parks with surrounding local tourism resources. These initiatives supported the development of ten high-quality outdoor educational experience products.
Improving Accommodation Quality
Under the "Guidelines on Subsidies of the Tourism Bureau, MOTC to Incentivize Quality Improvements in the Hotel Industry," the Tourism Bureau continued to encourage hotel operators to create friendly and smart service spaces and improve service quality to deliver high-quality accommodations for domestic and international travelers. Hotels received subsidies to provide Muslim-friendly facilities, accessible rooms and facilities, purchase self-service check-in counters, and link operational data with TaiwanStay and enterprise resource planning (ERP) or property management systems (PMS). Star-rated hotels were incentivized to join domestic/international brands, including innovative local chains. As of end-2022, approximately 1,156 subsidy applications were processed, with a total subsidy amount exceeding NT$238 million.
The Taiwan Tourist Information Website Adds "New Attractions, New Fun" Section
The Taiwan Tourist Information Website added the "New Attractions, New Fun'' section introducing new ways to enjoy Taiwan, including double-decker bus tours in Taipei, the Taiwan High-Speed Rail (THSR) Pass, Taiwan Railway's Future excursion train, as well as National Greenways, green travel destinations, and a spectrum of bicycle routes. The new section offers local and foreign visitors with a variety of options to enjoy Taiwan and participate in a new post-pandemic tourism wave after Taiwan reopens its borders.
Events
Taiwan Lantern Festival
Visitors to the 2022 Taiwan Lantern Festival were treated to an innovative and diverse show combining light, sound, social media, interactive technology, and traditional lantern art presented both virtually online and in-person. Smart lighting created a new aesthetic experience that enhanced the festival's impact and stimulated business opportunities in related industries.
The 2022 Taiwan Lantern Festival attracted over 11.5 million visitors and generated an overall economic value (including spending in surrounding commercial areas) of about NT$17.6 billion.
Taiwan Summer Tourism Festival
The Taiwan Summer Tourism Festival brand revolves around the theme of cool escapes and refreshing treats during the summer heat. A "Mid-Summer Flash Mob Event" was coordinated among 13 NSA headquarters and 14 cities/counties as they arranged summer-themed tourism events. The festival has grown in scope and diversity through cross-industry collaborations, allowing visitors to experience Taiwan's summertime charm and spurring the development of related industries. The Taiwan Summer Tourism Festival will continue to attract international travelers as a festive celebration of summer in Taiwan.
Taiwan Cycling Festival
The Taiwan Cycling Festival has been evolving towards a more tour-themed event aimed at encouraging locals to enjoy bicycle tourism. To increase the number of overnight stays and resolve the shortage of accommodations for guests with bicycles, the Tourism Bureau collaborated with hotel operators to promote "bicycle-friendly lodgings" and strengthen supporting services for bicycle tourism.
The Tourism Bureau is continuously optimizing the round-island bicycle network. The bureau promoted 16 diverse cycling routes and collaborated with local governments to develop bicycle-themed tours highlighting regional characteristics. It also partnered with travel agencies to promote high-quality bicycle tours, link international-class attractions, and coordinate with World Bicycle Day events. More than 78,000 people participated in related activities in 2022.
Taiwan Top-10 Hot Spring Destinations
During the 2022-23 Taiwan Top-10 Hot Spring Destinations event, the Sun Moon Lake NSA Administration managed overall marketing and the Golden Hot Spring Award event. The administration compiled information on hot spring towns, itineraries, and the Hot Spring Mark, as well as integrated related activities with the unique tourism resources at Sun Moon Lake. It also carried out an integrated marketing campaign to promote the resources at 19 hot spring areas throughout Taiwan, generating local tourism economic benefits and enhancing the benefits of local cultural heritage in order to achieve sustainable operations.
Strategic Layout
In response the reopening of the border, the Tourism
Bureau convened a "Border Reopening Preparatory Work Study
Taskforce" joined by industry insiders and relevant
government agencies to discuss related measures after the
border reopening. In May 2022, the bureau arranged a
"Pandemic Prevention Training Symposium for Travel
Industry Practitioners, Tour Guides, and Group Leaders" to
enhance pandemic prevention and post-pandemic reception
abilities of tourism professionals.
Following the resumption of cross-border group tours on
October 13, 2022, assistance was provided to travel
agencies, regional tourism associations, tour guides, and
group leaders in holding "Inbound and Outbound Guidance
Seminar Courses." Online courses were also offered via the
"Tourism E-learning Academy" platform. More than 20,000
travel industry practitioners, tour guides, and tour group
leaders completed training courses, improving the service
quality and adaptability of the tourism reception
workforce.
The following strategies were proposed to market domestic
and international tourism after the COVID-19 pandemic：
Boosting Domestic Travel: Let's Go! Domestic Tourism Subsidy Program
Between July 15 and December 15, 2022, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau launched the "Let's Go! Domestic Tourism Subsidy Program" to encourage local residents to travel after the COVID-19 pandemic and thereby stimulate domestic demand and tourism industry momentum. The program offered group travel incentives to motivate travel agencies to create premium group travel packages. A total of 2,674 travel agencies arranged more than 80,000 group tours that attracted approximately 1.54 million travelers and generated around NT$10.7 billion in tourism revenue. The program also subsidized weekday (Sunday to Thursday) hotel stays by independent travelers. Subsidies were provided for approximately 3.58 million guests (1.79 million rooms) at about 9,850 participating establishments, creating over NT$16.3 billion in tourism revenue. In addition, the program offered discounted admission at 19 participating amusement parks, attracting more than 1.45 million visitors and generating NT$5.7 billion in tourism revenue. Overall, the program stimulated an estimated 6.57 million visits and generated about NT$32.7 billion in tourism benefits.
Travel Industry
Travel agencies were incentivized to organize group tours and promote domestic tourism development. The subsidies encouraged travel agencies to develop high-quality group travel products in compliance with COVID-19 prevention measures. Tours were required to meet certain basic conditions and involve national scenic areas, Top 100 Classic Towns, and amusement park destinations and sites recommended by relevant ministries. The maximum subsidy for each tour was NT$20,000, or NT$30,000 if the itinerary met any of eight additional conditions, such as inclusion of national greenways or one of the 16 various bicycle routes. To support the tourism industry in the Hualien-Taitung area, an additional subsidy of up to NT$10,000 was made available to travel agencies from October 1, 2022 for tours to this region, bringing the total maximum subsidy to NT$40,000 for tours meeting all of the criteria.
Hotel Industry
A per-person, per-night subsidy of NT$800 was provided for weekday hotel stays (Sunday to Thursday) to spread out demand, with additional incentives in certain qualifying cases to increase the subsidy to NT$1,300 per room, per night.
Amusement Park Industry
To alleviate crowding, subsidies were provided for a 70% discount on weekday amusement park admissions.
International Marketing: Accelerating the Recovery and Growth of International Markets
The Tourism Bureau rolled out a marketing campaign to raise the visibility of Taiwan tourism among potential visitors, with priority on the main source markets for visitors prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on surveys of tourism market trends and the characteristics of visitor source markets, these campaigns highlighted themes such as ecology, culture, cuisine, and LOHAS living (such as water, mountain, railway, and bicycle travel), romantic escapes, hot springs, flower appreciation, and shopping. The campaigns were delivered via video, digital, online, print, and outdoor advertising channels. The bureau is bolstering online marketing and physical events in partnership with online travel agencies (OTAs) to restore and grow Taiwan's inbound travel market.
International marketing focused on the following eight areas：
Multiple Themes, Diverse Media Channels
Media promotions were carried out in major target markets, including promotional videos on major media platforms overseas.
Returning to International Travel Fairs after COVID-19
The Tourism Bureau participated in international benchmark travel fairs in Asia, Europe, and the Americas, tailoring exhibition themes and techniques to the post-COVID-19 demand for immersive travel.
Seeing is Believing: Safe Travel
In response to the changing travel patterns and preferences in the post-pandemic era, the Tourism Bureau arranged Fam tours to introduce new post-COVID-19 Taiwan tours.
Border Free Online Marketing
The Tourism Bureau partnered with key opinion leaders (KOL) to create a range of promotional tourism videos and tweets that use platforms such as new “we media” channels to generate buzz for Taiwan tourism.
Large-scale Monthly Events
The Tourism Bureau participated in effective large-scale events in designated administered areas. It also organized, co-organized, or participated in events coordinated with special festivals or outbound travel characteristics in different markets.
Tourism Circle Marketing: Cross-domain Integration
The Tourism Bureau strengthened cross-domain integration of food, lodging, recreation, shopping, and travel industry chain services to develop new itineraries. The bureau also marketed tourism circles through its overseas offices to attract visitors for experiential and other culturally-intensive types of tourism.
Expanding Channels through Cross-industry Alliances
The Tourism Bureau improved the benefits and reach of marketing campaigns through cross-industry alliances and cooperation. This effectively expanded Taiwan's tourism marketing channels and the promotion of tourism themes.
Amplifying Results with Visitor Incentives
The Tourism Bureau arranged charter flight subsidies, transportation discounts, and other incentives to reduce the cost of independent travel and attract international visitors to Taiwan.
