Sightseeing Festival Honors 100 Outstanding Individuals  Ma Ying-jeou: Taiwan’s Tourism Is a Mini Revolution

▲ Japanese TV host Tomohiro Tamura joyfully receives the Individual Award for Promoting Taiwan Tourism. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ruizhong)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

The annual highlight of Taiwan’s tourism industry, the “2015 Sightseeing Festival Celebration Conference,” took place today (March 3) at the Grand Hotel Taipei. Alongside honoring excellent tourism enterprises and individuals, the event presented trophies to individuals who have played a role in promoting Taiwan’s tourism. Among them, Japanese variety show host “Takeshi” Tomohiro Tamura, Emmy Award winners Joseph Rosendo and his wife, as well as fashion designer and creative director Malan Breton, have all used television programs, videos, and even distinctive fashion to highlight Taiwan’s unique features, earning them promotional trophies.

Nearly 600 professionals from the travel industry attended this event, where a total of 151 tourism awards were presented. President Ma Ying-jeou, Vice Minister of Transportation and Communications Fan Chih-ku, and others were present to commend the outstanding performers. A total of seven major awards were given out, including the Taiwan Tourism Contribution Award, the Excellent County/City Award for Hotel and Homestay Management and Supervision Performance Evaluation, the Sightseeing and Recreational Industry Supervision and Evaluation Competition Award, the Excellent Tourism Industry Group Award, the Excellent Tourism Industry Award, the Enthusiastic Tourism Industry Group and Individual Award, and the Excellent Tourism Industry Practitioner Award.

▲ President Ma Ying-jeou (4th from left) attends the 2015 Sightseeing Festival Celebration Conference.

In his speech, Ma Ying-jeou stated that Taiwan welcomed its first 1 million tourists in 1976, and it then took an average of 13 to 16 years to reach each subsequent 1 million milestone. However, starting from 3.84 million visitors in 2008, the number has grown by 1 million each year, reaching 9.91 million in 2014. In recent years, Taiwan has retained the same attractions—people, cuisine, and scenery—but has achieved rapid growth in tourist numbers, which he described as a “mini tourism revolution.”

Ma pointed out that while many believe Taiwan’s growth is driven by an increase in mainland Chinese tourists, they actually account for 40% of the total. The largest growth has come from South Korean tourists. Additionally, in the past, the number of Taiwanese traveling abroad far exceeded the number of inbound tourists. But last year, inbound arrivals reached 9.91 million, while outbound departures were 11.85 million, narrowing the gap to around 2 million. In 2014, the growth in inbound tourists was 24% compared to 2013, ranking second globally only to Japan. For the future development of Taiwan’s tourism, it is not just about increasing numbers, but also about “quality,” with the goal of reaching 10 million visitors.

▲ Seven major awards were given out at the Sightseeing Festival Celebration Conference, honoring a total of 151 recipients.

Vice Minister of Transportation and Communications Fan Chih-ku also noted that quality improvement is the most crucial foundation for the sustainable development of Taiwan’s tourism, while also emphasizing the need to enhance the added value of the entire tourism industry. Over the past six years, the Tourism Bureau has implemented the Tourism Excellence and Navigation Program, successfully expanding the scale of Taiwan’s tourism market. The Bureau has also finalized the Tourism Nation Action Plan, which centers on the concept of “quality optimization and value enhancement,” and executes strategies focusing on “excellence, uniqueness, intelligence, and sustainability” to comprehensively boost Taiwan’s international tourism competitiveness.