TAIWAN is ramping up its marketing efforts in a bid to boost Indonesian arrival numbers and to entice them to stay longer.
Last year, Taiwan received 150,000 visitors from Indonesia, a 26 per cent increase over 2010, according to the Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA).
This represented the highest growth rate among inbound source markets for Taiwan, said TVA Kuala Lumpur Office deputy director, Tony Wu.
Speaking to TTG Asia e-Daily during a recent travel fair in Jakarta, Wu said: “We have seen major growth in traffic from Indonesia since Taiwan introduced its new visa policy last year.”
“Indonesians with passports showing they were once granted visas to the US, Schengen States, Japan, Australia or New Zealand will be granted 30-day visa-free entry into Taiwan. This applies for both group and individual travellers.”
Looking to ride the momentum, TVA has set a budget of US$200,000 to market Taiwan to Indonesians, and to increase awareness of what the destination has to offer.
“We are working with local (travel experts) to organise a roadshow to Jakarta and another city, probably Surabaya, this year,” said Wu, adding that TVA would advertise in Indonesian media and public transportation.
“(Travel experts in Indonesia) are creating (up to) eight-day packages for the whole of Taiwan and this is too rushed. The ideal itinerary would be five-day North, five-day Central and another five-day South,” he added.
