Despite the increasingly tense geopolitical relations across the Taiwan Strait, the beauty of Taiwan is capturing the attention of tourists. On June 5th, Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Tourism Bureau Director Zhou Yonghui led a team in Los Angeles to share tourism resources with nearly a hundred local tourism industry professionals. They launched the new Taiwan tourism brand 3.0 version “TAIWAN – Waves of Wonder”, aiming for international travelers to personally experience “close to mountains, close to seas, and happy island-hopping” with waves of surprises.
Zhou Yonghui pointed out that there are about 160 direct flights from North America to Taiwan per week, with a well-connected flight network making it more convenient for travelers to visit Taiwan. Despite concerns about recent frequent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait causing disruptions, Zhou Yonghui emphasized that tourism is not political and is like “meetings without diplomacy, education without classrooms.” He also reassured that the situation in the Taiwan Strait has not escalated to a level that affects safety for traveling to Taiwan.
To expand into the North American market, the Ministry of Transportation and Tourism Bureau, along with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, travel agencies, airlines, and performance groups, held the second Taiwan tourism promotion event in North America in Los Angeles. Deputy Director Zhang Zhengyu of the Ministry of Transportation and Tourism Bureau, China Airlines Los Angeles branch North America Director Zheng Yulin, EVA Air Passenger Operations Manager Cheng Jian, Starlux Airlines North America Passenger Operations Manager Zhang Shenhua, Southern California Taiwan Hotel Association President Zhang Yufen, Taiwan Tea Ambassador to the United States Xu Zhenglong, and the Pan family were all present to support the event.
Mayor of San Gabriel, Wu Chengyuan, attended the event and presented a certificate of appreciation, showcasing the friendship and blessings between both parties. The city had previously signed a letter of intent with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau Los Angeles Office to enhance cooperation and partnership in tourism and cultural heritage sharing. Wu Chengyuan and his family visited several Taiwan booths, tasted authentic Taiwanese tea, experienced the beauty of paper sculpture art, and learned how to fold lifelike animals with world-renowned paper sculpture artist Hong Xinfu to understand Taiwan’s ecology.
Zhou Yonghui announced that 2024 and 2025 are designated as the “Taiwan Island Tour Year”, combining five major tourism focuses including “convenient traveling, multi-stop journeys, doubling North American visitors, doubling Muslim travelers, and increasing cruise passengers.” Los Angeles, as a major tourist city in North America, has a large customer base. Through this tourism promotion event, Zhou reiterated that after the April Hualien earthquake, Taiwan has swiftly recovered and all travel is unaffected except for certain restricted areas in Taroko due to safety considerations.
In recent years, international trends like eco-tourism and tribal tourism have been on the rise. Despite its small size, Taiwan boasts 268 mountains above 3,000 meters, with 16 indigenous tribes waiting for tourists to explore and discover surprises one peak after another. From Chiayi to Taitung, it’s like a smiling curve, while Green Island and Penghu are like two blushes beside a smile. Zhou Yonghui encourages people to visit Taiwan, to experience the diversity, inclusiveness, and sustainable development of Taiwanese tourism, as “TAIWAN – Waves of Wonder” is now globally aligned.
Zhang Zhengyu stated that Taiwan has always had close interactions with the United States in various fields such as economy, culture, education, and tourism, and tourism promotion is also an important diplomatic effort. This event facilitates exchanges, allowing American friends to understand Taiwan and experience the beautiful scenery brought by the people of Taiwan.
The on-site activities were rich and diverse, showcasing Taiwan’s latest tourism resources and high-quality travel services. The silk fan painting workshop by master painter Zeng Yanhui saw 50 fans taken within an hour; the tea-making experience by traditional tea house Lu Yuan Tea Estate in Yilan, and handmade activities like window flower wood coasters surprised Westerners one after another. The immersive Taiwan experience allowed industry professionals to gain a new understanding of Taiwan, with many expressing eagerness to deepen cooperation with Taiwanese partners.
The grand finale was a lucky draw sponsored by China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux Airlines providing round-trip tickets from Taiwan to Los Angeles, along with accommodation vouchers, package tours, transportation vouchers, and cultural gift boxes from Taiwanese accommodation and cultural industry sponsors. The excited Los Angeles industry winners couldn’t wait to experience Taiwan’s charm and share its wonders with their customers.
Following the end of the second promotion event in Los Angeles after the first stop in Seattle, the Taiwan delegation will continue to the third stop in San Francisco for another promotion event on June 7th.