Self-guided travel just got easier ! Japan’s dedicated travel site for Taiwanese launches

By Li Xinyi, compiled and reported

A Japan travel website exclusively for Taiwanese has been launched ! The Taiwanese market for Japan travel is second only to Korea and China. To this end, the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) has developed the content structure of the site based on the preferences of Taiwanese travelers, aiming to boost their willingness to visit Japan. Moreover, to cater to the needs of Taiwanese tourists, the site provides more detailed introductions to various regions across Japan, the latest travel information, and special offers. In particular, to revive the tourism boom in the Tohoku region following the Great East Japan Earthquake, a special feature has been created focusing on Tohoku.

The official website established by JNTO, “JNTO WEB,” primarily introduces the charm of tourism across Japan and provides practical travel information. It is available in 12 languages including English, Simplified Chinese, Korean, Thai, Russian, Portuguese, and German. Although there was already a Traditional Chinese option, it was primarily targeted at Hong Kong users. Considering that the usage of Traditional Chinese and social culture differ between Hong Kong and Taiwan, Japan has set up a separate site dedicated to Taiwanese users. Among countries where JNTO has set up offices, most of the Chinese versions of tourism websites are in Simplified Chinese, with few offering Traditional Chinese, and those that do are often tailored to Hong Kong usage. This new Traditional Chinese site on JNTO’s official portal not only increases convenience for visitors to Japan but also demonstrates the organization’s emphasis on Taiwanese travelers.

The new website includes six recommended itineraries from Tokyo to the Tohoku region, and provides weekly updates from local governments and tourism-related organizations in Tohoku, including reports from the reopening in October of Fukushima Prefecture’s theme park, Hawaii Village. To alleviate concerns about food safety in Japan, JNTO staff based at their Tokyo headquarters also share their daily dining experiences on a blog.

Website: www.welcome2japan.tw