Hi there！ No US visa required Taipei–Hawaii direct flights in July

Lifestyle Center / Taipei reporting

The US visa waiver brings huge business opportunities to the tourism market. For those who love Hawaii’s oceanic tropical charm, they no longer have to put up with the hassle of layovers—the “Taipei–Honolulu” direct flight route will launch next July.

%Nan Nai? Mu Lao Di de Hai E Jiang Di Wei, Yun Ran Huo Anga Zhi Song Yu. (Ji, ∽ Yun Nai? De Mu Liang Zhi Jiu Mu Jia

Currently, there are no direct flights from Taipei to Hawaii. Most travelers wanting to go on vacation have to transit via Tokyo, adding 3 to 4 hours to their journey. Seeing the market potential brought by the US visa waiver, Hawaiian airline operators are set to launch the “Taipei–Honolulu” route.

In 2011, about 8,100 people traveled from Taiwan to Hawaii. With the US visa waiver in place, it is expected that this number could exceed 10,000 in 2012. Given that after the US granted Korea visa-free travel in 2008, the number of Korean tourists visiting Hawaii grew by 34% the following year, Taiwan’s substantial tourism market potential has drawn high attention from Hawaii. Operators have already sent representatives to Taiwan in November this year to discuss the feasibility of direct flights.

Although the inaugural flight date has not yet been confirmed, the direct flights are scheduled to begin next July, with approximately two flights per week.