Taipei International Travel Fair / Strong Sales on Opening Day; Visitor Numbers Up by 10,000 from Last Year

Reported and photographed by Yu Ruru / Taipei

On the opening day of the Taipei International Travel Fair, all exhibition zones reported increased sales performance. This year, the number of visitors on the first day reached 61,550, nearly 10,000 more than last year’s 52,006. The organizer, the Taiwan Visitors Association, stated that this year (2013) marks the first launch of the homestay and gourmet food zone on the second floor of Hall 1 at the Taipei World Trade Center, which successfully boosted consumer purchasing power. Most visitors had already identified what they wanted to book or purchase before arriving, and the association is optimistic about sales over the next three days.


▲ 61,550 people flocked to the fair on its opening day.

Strong sales on opening day. The Hong Kong Pavilion featured New Year’s Eve travel packages. The highlight was the Victoria Harbour fireworks show on New Year’s Eve, which is not to be missed. Shelly Hsu, Director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board in Taiwan, suggested: “With the year-end approaching, visitors are advised to take advantage of the discounts during the fair to book Christmas and New Year’s Eve travel packages.” Hong Kong’s New Year’s Eve packages, priced nearly 30% lower than usual, successfully attracted buyers with their low-cost strategy. On the first day of the fair, 650 packages were sold, generating NT$9 million in sales—150 more packages sold compared to the same period last year.

In the Japan Pavilion, ski trips were a major highlight. Tang Guizhen, head of Rolisa Tour International Travel Agency, noted that ski trips, overseas weddings, and cruise packages received the highest level of inquiries. Kobayashi Yoshika from the Hokkaido Tourism Promotion Office mentioned that almost all flights for November trips to Hokkaido were fully booked, and most inquiries on the first day of the fair were for Christmas and New Year’s Eve packages. Gao Shixuan, head of sports travel at Shangshun Travel Agency, pointed out that ski destinations mainly promoted were Nagano, Niigata, and Hokkaido, with most travelers opting for independent travel. Zhang Yaoren, manager of the travel department at Mingsheng Travel Agency, estimated that total sales for the entire Japan Pavilion on the first day reached nearly NT$42 million.


▲ Many visitors rushed to snap up deals at the fair.

Cloudland Tourism Group also reported strong sales on the first day. A total of 1,600 accommodation vouchers were sold, amounting to over NT$4 million, while 3,200 dining vouchers were sold, also totaling over NT$4 million. The overall sales revenue reached approximately NT$8 million. Compared to the first day of last year’s travel fair, the afternoon session saw an increase in consumers queuing up to buy dining vouchers after the general public was allowed entry. It is estimated that over the four-day duration of this year’s Taipei Travel Fair, sales performance will grow by at least 20%.

Wang Jingyi, Marketing Planning Director of Eastar Mountain Resort Hotel, stated that sales figures exceeded expectations on the opening day, with preliminary estimates of around NT$5 million in revenue. To attract more visitors, Eastar Resort Hotel also brought out its mascot “SenSen” to perform Gangnam Style outside the exhibition hall, which successfully drew crowds and excited screams.

As for the newly opened homestay and gourmet food zone on the second floor, it also received positive feedback on its first day, with Xiangshi Paradise offering the most popular discount promotions. The organizer, the Taiwan Visitors Association, noted that many visitors had already done their research online and came in groups to snap up deals. It is expected that sales will see significant growth compared to last year, and the upcoming three days of the fair will continue to see strong buying interest. Travelers are encouraged to visit the site for more information.