Some might see promoting tourism to a tiny island surrounded by major tourists destinations as too big a challenge, but not the leaders of Taiwan.
The small island nation often referred to as ‘Formosa’ or ‘Beautiful Island’ is on a mission to increase its visitors numbers and is even turning its attention to Australia to meet targets.
Speaking to KarryOn at the Taiwan Roadshow in Sydney this week, Outdoor Travel Advisor, Lucas Song said the he and his small delegation travelled to Australia to meet with agents and build brand awareness in the local market.
Song explained that currently there’s a lot of confusion amongst Australian travellers about Taiwan’s geography, culture, heritage and even its name.
“Brand awareness is not so high right now, there are even people confusing Taiwan with Thailand.”
Lucas Song, Outdoor Travel Advisor
In addition to mass confusion, Song admitted that his biggest challenge will be encouraging Australians to choose Taiwan over its larger neighbours such as China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia.
But unlike its neighbours, Song says Taiwan has major point of differences that will work in its favour.
Compact
First and foremost, Taiwan IS small – but its compact size gives it the benefit of efficiency.
Song says everything in Taiwan is easily accessible and close in distance.
So travellers with limited time can see everything within their allowed time or they can extend it for a longer stay.
“On a bullet train it takes half an hour to get from the top to the bottom of the island.”
Scenic
Despite its intimate size, Taiwan has 268 mountains that are over 3,000 metres high.
Song says this makes for incredible dramatic landscapes for sightseeing. They’ve also contributed to the country’s endless number of waterfalls and tucked away forests.
Non-stop action
Speaking of waterfalls and forests, Taiwan has extensive outdoor activities such as waterfall jumping, mountain climbing, coast hiking, trails in the mountains, river trekking, canoeing and rafting.
There’s also year-round camping and hiking.
And non-stop eating
While Taiwan has its traditional indigenous dishes, much of its cuisine has outside influence from its neighbours.
For example, Song says you can find Chinese food, Japanese food as well as spicy Southeast Asian influences.
“Taiwan has so much variety with food you could eat for days and never repeat the same dish.”
History
The best Chinese heritage can be found in Taipei’s National Palace Museum.
The museum has one of the world’s greatest collections of Chinese antiquities because it’s where all the art from the Imperial Palace Museum was moved during China’s Civil War.
The museum is in the list of top five museums in the world.
Culture
As well as having the best collection of Chinese history, Taiwan is also home to 15 of its own indigenous tribes.
Spread out across the island, particularly in the mountains, they each speak their own language and have their own customs.
The one thing all 15 tribes share in common is their love of festivals.
According to Songs, their religious festivals can last for up to three days and tourists are welcome to join.
The biggest festival is the Prosperity Festival, which involves non-stop dancing for some 72 hours.
