A Friendly and Convenient Travel Environment
Creating a friendly tourism environment is an important objective in Taiwan's tourism development. The Tourism Administration has been optimizing brands including the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Taiwan Tour Bus, Taiwan Pass, Fun Cards, and i-center tourism information system to build a friendly and convenient travel environment.
1. Taiwan Tourist Shuttle tour bus service to scenic spots
The Tourism Administration guides county and city governments and national scenic area administrations in planning the most convenient, affordable, and user-friendly shuttle service so that domestic and international independent travelers can have more options for transportation services to scenic spots. The administration also conducts annual route satisfaction evaluations to ensure service quality.
The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle introduced a digital guide service and multilingual station broadcast system. The shuttle website provides information on accessible route schedules and various channels for requesting accessible services. Launched on May 20, 2023, the "Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Half-Price Fare Discount" campaign offers half-price fares on selected routes to riders using e-ticketing (including mobile payments), with 60 routes participating during 2023.
In 2023, the Tourism Administration provided assistance to 21 county and city governments and ten national scenic area administrations in launching 72 Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes, including 61 accessible routes and 59 routes accommodating passengers with bicycles (regular, folding, or detachable). These routes served over 4.61 million passengers throughout the year. The service also released 134 preferential packages for dining, lodging, sightseeing, shopping, and transportation to help visitors fully experience the unique charm of Taiwan.
2. Taiwan Tour Bus Package Tours
To provide domestic and international tourists with convenient, friendly, and scheduled guided tour services from hotels and transportation hubs to Taiwan's tourist and recreational areas, the Tourism Administration continues to guide travel operators in designing Taiwan Tour Bus package tours with high service quality, operational standards, and brand image. These tours focus on "in-depth travel" and "low minimum participant numbers" to offer convenient and friendly transportation services.
The Taiwan Tour Bus is operated by 24 travel agencies, offering 93 routes under six themes: health and healing (18 routes), culture and history (15 routes), internet celebrity check-in (28 routes), hot topic events (15 routes), indigenous cultural experience (3 routes), and secret getaways (14 routes). The routes include 14 half-day tours, 62 one-day tours, and 17 two-day tours. These themed itineraries integrate tourism circle resources, local specialty cuisine, and experiential activities to provide visitors with in-depth themed experiences.
As part of the Executive Yuan's "Public Transport Shuttle Service for Tourist Attractions - Local Shuttle Service for Tourist Corridors" plan, from July 1 to December 31, 2023, the Taiwan Tour Bus collaborated with the lodging industry to launch a first-wave promotion offering a buy-one-get-one-free deal on Taiwan Tour Bus tours for two people valid for weekday, weekend, and holiday stays. The initiative partnered with over 200 lodging operators to transport guests to tourist attractions and assist with hotel bookings. The Taiwan Tour Bus Association was supported in enhancing the Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean content on their website, providing travelers with promotional offers, information on partner hotels, and convenient product booking. In 2023, the Taiwan Tour Bus served a total of 49,427 passengers, a 90.34% increase over the previous year, generating an economic benefit of NT$92.99 million.
3. Taiwan PASS
To accelerate and expand the attraction of international tourists to Taiwan and enhance the transportation convenience for independent travelers, the Tourism Administration launched the "Taiwan PASS - High-Speed Rail International Version" on December 15, 2023. This product integrates tickets for the high-speed rail, four major metro systems, and four Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes. Priced at NT$2,500, it aims to attract international independent travelers to visit Taiwan.
4. i-center tourism service system and Information Station
The Tourism Administration assisted local governments in establishing "i-center" tourism service systems with the "i" logo at key transportation hubs and national scenic area visitor sites to provide domestic and foreign visitors with convenient access to tourism information.
The i-centers provide different services based on local characteristics and service type. There are three Level 1 tourist service centers at Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, and Songshan international airports; 54 Level 2 visitor information centers set up by local governments with guidance from the Tourism Administration at major domestic transportation hubs, such as train stations, HSR stations, airports, and MRT stations; and 59 Level 3 visitor centers set up by administrations under the Tourism Administration at major scenic spots in national scenic areas.
Furthermore, to create a high-quality and friendly tourism environment and promote Taiwan's warm hospitality, the Tourism Administration planned a cross-industry cooperation mechanism to select private businesses and public and private units to set up "Information Station" services to provide local travel information and guidance. As of 2023, a total of 611 Information Stations were operational throughout Taiwan.
5. Providing an Accessible Tourism Environment with Universal Design
The Tourism Administration is promoting and improving accessible tourism environments for mobility impaired people under the concept of universal design. A specialized team was established to coordinate and integrate efforts by various units in promoting a universal tourism environment. A total of 40 accessible recommended tours and 178 accessible tourism sites were developed to serve as a reference in facilitating visits by seniors, people with disabilities, and other individuals with limited mobility.
In 2023, the administration's Accessibility Committee, along with experts and scholars, inspected four campgrounds under the jurisdiction of national scenic areas, including the East Coast National Scenic Area Administration (Shitiping Campground, Ruisui Campground), Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Headquarters (Longmen Campground), and Yunlin-Chiayi-Tainan National Scenic Area Administration (Mashagou Campground). The results were compiled in the "National Scenic Area Campground Universal Design Reference Manual."
