Korean travelers love visiting Taiwan; New Taipei City’s popular attractions add Korean-language services

▲ Popular tourist attractions in New Taipei City, such as Jiufen, now feature Korean-language signs. (Photo / Provided by New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Bureau)

Reported by Tsai Wen-jun / Taipei

After the popular Korean TV show "Grandpas Over Flowers" aired locally last year and received rave reviews, the number of Korean tourists visiting Taiwan has been steadily increasing. To accommodate the growing number of Korean visitors, New Taipei City’s Tourism and Travel Bureau has begun creating a Korean-friendly environment. In addition to launching a Korean version of the bureau’s official website, Korean signage has also been installed at popular tourist spots within New Taipei City, such as Jiufen.

With Korean TV shows filming in Taiwan multiple times, the island’s captivating scenery has attracted many Korean tourists eager to explore. According to statistics from the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the number of Korean visitors exceeded 350,000 in 2013, and in the first half of 2014, it approached the 300,000 mark—a growth rate of 77%, making Korea the country with the highest growth rate among tourists to Taiwan.

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To help Korean tourists better understand the historical background and stories behind various attractions in Taiwan, the New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Bureau has not only set up a Korean-language version of its official website to introduce must-visit spots in the area, but also provides Korean-language brochures at visitor centers including those in Xindian, Tamsui, Ruifang, Jiufen, Houtong, and Shifen. The Jiufen Gold Museum has also installed Korean-language audio guides, the Sanxia History Museum offers Korean-language brochures, and the Yingge Ceramics Museum has launched a Korean-language website to help Korean visitors learn more about the stories behind the sites they explore.

▲ In addition to installing Korean-language signs at tourist attractions, New Taipei City has also added measures such as Korean-language audio guides (bottom right photo) and QR code-based attraction introductions (bottom left photo). (Photo / Provided by New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Bureau)