The conference was addressed by Chung‐Kwang Tien, Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India, who took charge of his new post earlier this year. 

 

This was followed by a presentation by Noel Saxena, Country Head, Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Representative Office in India.
 
Noel Saxena began proceedings with a welcome note which was followed by an extensive presentation on Taiwan where he highlighted various aspects about the destination, especially the easy availability of the Taiwanese visa to the Indian traveler.

"We are delighted that our company Think Strawberries has been chosen as the India representative office for TTB the second time," said Saxena.

Chung‐Kwang Tien then spoke of Taiwan as a technological marvel. “Taiwan once created an economic miracle that aroused the admiration of the world, and now 3C products like HTC, Acer, Asus are sold throughout the globe including India.”

Taiwan is known as Ilha Formosa or Beautiful Island. 

 

“Taiwan has world-class natural landscapes such as the awesome Taroko Gorge; it is the repository of true Chinese culture; its National Palace Museum is listed as one of the five top museums in the world,' he said. 

 

Further, the ambassador said: “Taiwan also offers a year-long series of exciting festivals such as Lantern Festival, the Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) Culture Festival, Ghost Festival, Aborigine Harvest Festival and countless others." 

 

"These events provide many opportunities for joyful participation, and infinite chances to learn about Taiwan’s religious observances and living practices. If you like culture then Taiwan is the perfect destination for you,” he said.

Talking about gourmet experiences in Taiwan, he said, “Taiwan offers the finest Chinese cuisine, the booming development of foreign restaurants, and unique dining opportunities in establishments serving local Taiwanese snacks.”

In the coming months, TTB will plan a number of educational seminars for the travel trade and other corporate entities to further disseminate the knowledge to the consumers in India. 

 

Taiwan has become an important and exciting MICE destination for the Indians. 

 

TTB is currently working on a number of MICE Incentive Plans with increased benefits which will facilitate MICE movement to Taiwan. These include:

           • Exclusive FAM trips for MICE publication and MICE organizers
           • Unique Itineraries for FAM trips

“Our plan is to educate the travel media fraternity on how to promote Taiwan in India to the individual holidaymaker as well as group movements (MICE). We want to reach out to the B2B segment and the B2C market this year with outdoor advertising and aggressive promotion in mainline newspapers to educate the potential Indian traveler," pointed out Saxena. 

 

"We are also reaching out to the Tier 2 markets such as Kolkata through roadshows which are planned for later this year. The destinations in Taiwan which we are promoting from the MICE point of view are Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung city," he said.

 

"Taiwan is a year around MICE destination thanks to its temperate climate, excellent infrastructure, convenient transport and high quality communication services. Also Taiwan has a large MICE infrastructure, hotel inventory, Indian restaurants and much more to welcome the different segment of MICE groups to the country," said Saxena.

 

Taiwan is located in the western Pacific Ocean 160 km (100 miles) off the southeastern coast of the Chinese mainland and is a convenient gateway to Asia for the Indian traveler.

 

 A number of airlines such as China Airlines, Jet Airways, Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways fly directly or with a stopover in to Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport from the Indian metros of New Delhi and Mumbai. 

 

The average flight time between India and Taiwan is of about 6.5 hours; and Taiwan is 2.30 hours ahead of India.