Siraya speaks English and Japanese too—bilingual tourism services now available!

By Chi Bing-hui | Compiled & Reported

Foreigners visiting Taiwan often worry most about the language barrier, especially when traveling to rural and remote areas. The Siraya National Scenic Area is currently assisting 20 tourism operators in offering bilingual services. In the future, when visitors travel around the Siraya area, they’ll have no trouble communicating in Japanese or English!

The Siraya National Scenic Area covers Dapu Township in Chiayi County and 14 administrative districts in Tainan City. It boasts the culture of Pingpu indigenous tribes, abundant agricultural specialties, and unique local experiences. With the increase in international visitors in recent years—and especially with the opening of the "Watan Yasuo Memorial Park" this year—more Japanese tourists are expected to come. To accommodate them, the government has launched a “star-rated service” program targeting five types of operators: restaurants, hotels, homestays, inns, and farms. Representative businesses were selected to receive training in bilingual services, enhancing their capacity to offer international-level hospitality.

To promote this initiative, two public selection events were held in June. Operators were evaluated on five criteria: building facilities, service quality, foreign language proficiency, and more. The final 20 selected operators will undergo training by the end of the year. The list includes: Lingyi Lodge, Jingda Resort Manor, Tangquan Meidi Hot Spring Resort, Linkueyuan Shiquan Manor, Guanziling Tongmao Hot Spring Resort, Ouduna Mountain Wilderness Resort, XinDa Siraya Resort Hotel, Jiangnan Resort, Dakeng Leisure Farm, Nanyuan Garden Leisure Farm, Zoumala Farm, Xinhua National Botanical Garden, Muchun Hot Spring Wellness Resort, Mingyuan Hot Spring Villa, Mahogany Forest Homestay, Baihe Pottery Workshop, Shan’guan Jun Leisure Industry Co., Ltd., Yanding Natural Leisure Workshop, Dachu Huajian, and Masha Garden.