Just love traveling in Taiwan — Mainland tourists strive to be independent travel experts

▲ Independent travel has become a widely favored way to visit Taiwan. The photo shows Taipei 101 taken from Elephant Mountain. (Photo provided by Taipei Tourism Bureau)

Reported by the Travel Center / Taipei

Independent travel by mainland tourists to Taiwan has expanded from the young backpacker market in its early days to all age groups and various industries, gradually becoming a popular trend. The Beijing Office of the Straits Exchange Foundation & Travel Association of Taiwan, China, held an event titled “Experts Form Groups & Show the Way – Independent Travel in Taiwan.” Despite offering only 12 spots, it attracted 1,134 mainland applicants, with an acceptance rate of just 1%.

The allure of independent travel in Taiwan is boundless. The Beijing Office of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau announced the selection results today for the “Experts Form Groups & Show the Way – Independent Travel in Taiwan” event. Out of over a thousand applicants, only 12 were chosen, and the selected individuals will receive an independent travel fund of approximately NT$100,000 to explore Taiwan.

To promote Taiwan tourism on the mainland, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau required the 12 selected experts to design their own travel itineraries during their stay in Taiwan and share their experiences daily on Weibo. After the event, the Bureau will evaluate the performance of the 12 expert groups based on factors such as the view counts of their Weibo posts, and select the top three winners, who will each be awarded a prize of NT$5,000.

Yang Rui-zong, Director of the Beijing Office of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, stated that independent travel has become a highly popular way to visit Taiwan. Since the launch of this event, it has garnered widespread attention. During the registration period alone, thousands of inquiries were received from mainland netizens via Weibo and phone calls. The Beijing Office’s website also recorded a record-high traffic of 600,000 visits.