To boost central Taiwan's
economy, the Taichung City
Government's Tourism and
Travel Bureau is promoting
new international routes.

Tourism to Taichung takes off: New air connections bring visitors to Taichung, Changhua and Nantou

Words and photos by Yang Wen Lin
Translated by S. Ying

'Show Taichung to the world & bring the world to Taichung!'

Mandarin Airlines' former chairman Mr. Chen Sheng-shan, now Taichung Tourism and Travel Bureau Director, has been busy visiting Taichung City's 29 districts and various airline companies over the last six months in a campaign to increase the number of flight connections to Asian cities within a three-hour flight of Taichung.

As a result, the number of international flights from Taichung's CCK Airport to Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Seoul, Hong Kong, Macau and Okinawa will be increased. Aviation is a critical and convenient international gateway to other international destinations and establishing such connections to major cities is essential to making Taichung a cosmopolitan city, as well as giving it global exposure and an international image.

To enhance Taichung's recognition around the world, resources need to be integrated between airline companies and the tourism sector in order to attract more international visitors to the city and central Taiwan's various attractions.

In order to establish new air routes, Taichung Tourism and Travel Bureau Director Chen visited Taiwan's major airlines and achieved impressive results in just a few months. Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) will add Taichung-Osaka flights in June, Air China will add Taichung-Chengdu flights in June, UNI Air will start flying to Seoul in October; and Mandarin Airlines will have charter flights to Japan's Nagasaki and Oita in both July and October with plans to change these to regular routes in the future. Finally, efforts are also being made to create Taichung-Tokyo air links.

A chance for Asian visitors to fall in love with Taichung
Director Chen, who has traveled to numerous international cities, believes three-hour flights are the most comfortable for travelers. Therefore, he has targeted major Asian cities within a three to five hour flight radius of Taichung. This means that international visitors have the option of exclusively visiting Taichung, flying in and out of its airport, boosting the city's tourism and economy.

In order to attract international visitors, Chen plans to establish comprehensive tourism packages with interesting itineraries that include "food, clothing, accommodations, transportation, dining, drinking, playing, fun, and shopping". To travel is to experience local lifestyles and breathe in the cultures of a city. Thus, the Tourism and Travel Bureau will plan trips that include excursions to the seaside, mountains and Flower Expo, integrating various related tourism resources. Itineraries throughout the year will be categorized according to special monthly and seasonal events between January and December including major events such as the Taiwan Lantern Festival, Mazu Cultural Festival, Taichung Jazz Festival and Flower Expo Art Festival, Bike Festival and Xinshe Flower Festival, or simply to enjoy the various hot springs in central Taiwan.

The bureau promoting different Taichung tourism itineraries at various Asian exhibitions in different countries. In Japan, for example, promoted trips will include Japanese-related cultural activities such as martial arts, a calligraphy center and Taichung Park, plus long-stay package tours that allow Japanese visitors to fully experience their nation's influence and impact during the year's of colonial rule over Taiwan.

Moreover, Hong Kong visitors--the third major targeted tourism market for Taiwan--can enjoy cultural destinations such as hot springs visits and cultural activities involving local cuisine and products, all key elements in efforts to draw the residents of Hong Kong and Macau to Taichung. Director Chen has invited 22 major tour companies in Hong Kong to visit central Taiwan in early July and sample these itineraries, including visits to the pesticide-free Wu Feng Golf Course, Calligraphy Greenway, and tea centers plus a sampling of traditional cakes and snacks. All of these promise to leave Hong Kong visitors with a deep, lasting impression of Taichung.

Consolidating central Taiwan tourism-boosting efforts
Director Chen further notes that currently the number of passengers flying into Taichung CCK Airport is greater than those departing. Therefore, he aims to promote cooperation between travel agencies and airline companies--just like a pitcher and catcher at a baseball game--in order to give the tourists a "good game". The next stage of expansion aims to extend such efforts to Miaoli, Nantou and Chiayi counties, Changhua City or even Yuanlin Township in Changhua County for integrating central Taiwan's tourism attractions.

The National Taichung Theater and Chiayi's Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, also known as the Asian Art and Culture Museum, are major attractions that Chen will establish as highlights in the tour itineraries and he will also promote sports and recreational highlights such as biking, golfing and baseball to visitors from Macau, Hong Kong and Singapore, as well as Japan and South Korea in the wintertime. The plan is to incorporate themes such as weddings, golf and five-star hotel cuisine so that business travelers may also enjoy fine dining and a visit to the National Taichung Theater during their visits, perhaps even ordering a new bicycle before heading home.

"Marketing on two legs is not be as fast as marketing on wings" is a slogan Director Chen uses in a recent drawing contest project that his bureau is hosting with Mandarin Airlines, soliciting drawings that highlight a tourism vision for Taichung, Changhua and Nantou. The winner's drawing will decorate a Boeing 737-800 airplane based at Taichung's airport and employed on regular flights to Asian destinations with the mission of marketing central Taiwan tourism.