Taiwan Eyes More Tourists from Muslim Countries
This week, Taiwan's tourism bureau has erected a two-story high pavilion at the four-day Arabian Travel Market (ATM), hoping to lure more tourists from the Middle East and Muslim-majority countries.
Last year, the number of tourists from the Middle East set a new high record, followed by further double-digit year-on-year growth of 13.64 percent in the first two months of 2018. To tap into this fast growing market, Taiwan's tourism bureau joined the annual event for the fifth time, with a 2-story high pavilion featuring the country's beautiful coastlines, offshore islets, and for the first time, in this year's show, the nostalgic streets and mountains of Jiufen.
The Chinese Muslim Association and several Taipei-based travel agencies targeting Muslims also participated in the event, promoting Halal-certified restaurants and establishments in Taiwan.
A couple of traditional art groups and talented artists will be performing at the pavilion to promote Taiwan's culture, including calligraphy artist Ku Chi-chun, tea taster Liu Jing-yuan, and performing group Liu Sheng Ji which mixes traditional music with modern elements.
The Director of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau Singapore Office, Trust Lin, said that Taiwan has been dedicated to becoming a Muslim friendly destination, with restaurants, hotels, leisure farms and other business operations having obtained Halal certifications, and that can be attributed to the double-digit growth of the travelers from Muslim nations.
Among the fastest growing travelers from Muslim-majority countries, the United Arab Emirates comes first, with more than 20 percent growth. The Director of the Commercial Office of Taiwan to Dubai, Jerry S.K. Yang, said that travelers from Dubai have strong buying power, many people he knew are used to flying first or business class to Taiwan.
"Family bonding is strong in this region; they would recommend Taiwan to their family members if they are satisfied with their stays, so the power of word of mouth is expected to bring in more travelers from the region," said Yang.
The four-day ATM, now in its 25th year and the largest of its kind in the region, brings together over 2,500 companies, with over US$2.5 billion in deals expected to be signed during the event, according to the organizer. The Taiwan Pavilion was said to have successfully drawn larger buyers this year.
