Taiwan Visitors Association targets Malaysia

Taiwan Visitors Association’s (TVA) big investment and commitment to the recent 19th MATTA International Travel Fair (MITF) 2005 has paid off handsomely, Mr. Philip Chao, regional director for South East and South Asia said at the conclusion of the three-day travel fair held in Kuala Lumpur recently.

“TVA had 48 representatives at the travel fair and we estimate that over 3,000 people have bought tours or flight tickets to Taiwan from our partner travel agents at the conclusion of the fair. This is quite a remarkable figure and it is very encouraging for us that Malaysian travellers appreciate and want to experience the many wonderful attractions that Taiwan has to offer,” said Mr. Chao.

He continued: “We sent a big contingent to MITF 2005 as we anticipate huge growth potential for Malaysian tourists travelling to Taiwan as there are many attractions within the country that appeal to Malaysian travellers. Taiwan is a country that experiences four seasons like many temperate locations but Malaysians can enjoy these various seasons at costs far less than more traditional and expensive destinations such as Europe and the United States.”

“We use Taiwanese singing sensation, A-Mei as our travel ambassador as she appeals to many people and represents the exciting and vibrant face of contemporary Taiwan. We also conducted a competition during the travel fair for five lucky winners to travel to Taiwan in May on a personally guided tour of the country’s main destinations by A-Mei. The winners will be awarded superstar status during the all-expenses paid holiday of a lifetime. The lucky winners will be announced once they have been selected from the hundreds of entries. This worked very well as reflected in our increased sales figure,” added Mr. Chao.

Mr. Chao anticipates that in excess of 100,000 Malaysians will travel to Taiwan this year and this is a significant increase in the 2004 figures of 90,000. He commented that the figures have been growing over the past decade and is convinced that Taiwan is now a leading destination for Malaysian holidaymakers as Taiwanese companies and their Malaysian counterparts are aggressively promoting the country.

Visitors to MITF 2005 were able to enjoy the skillful performance by the Lan Yang Dancers who were part of the Taiwanese contingent. The dancers are well-known in Taiwan and abroad from having performed in many places. Taiwanese artisans also displayed various crafts such as traditional fan painting and silhouette paper cutting at the Taiwanese booth at the travel fair.