With the Centennial of the Republic of China coming up next year, Taiwan Tourism Bureau has formulated the “Tour Taiwan – Feel the Centennial Excitement” program for 2010 and 2011 and is determined to provide friendly and considerate service throughout the country for all travelers as its goal.

\r\nThe annual Taiwan Tourism Festival Celebration kicked off at 9:30 in the morning on Friday, February 26, at the Grand Hotel in Taipei. To enliven the event, the \r\n\r\n\r\nTaiwan Tourism Bureau invited tourism industry leaders from Taiwan and throughout the world to attend. The celebration was graced by the presence of President Ma Ying-jeou and Deputy Transportation and Communications Minister Chen Wei-Zen, who came to pay their respects and present tourism awards, showing the importance and support which the government attaches to the tourism industry. In addition to awarding tourism professionals for outstanding performance in 2009, the celebration also raised the curtain on the “Tour Taiwan - Feel the Centennial Excitement” program that is expected to bring Taiwan to a new height as a tourist destination.

With the Centennial of the Republic of China coming up next year, \r\n\r\n\r\nTaiwan Tourism Bureau has formulated the “Tour Taiwan – Feel the Centennial Excitement” program for 2010 and 2011 and is determined to provide friendly and considerate service throughout the country for all travelers as its goal. \r\n This program aims to attract international travelers to come to Taiwan and share the achievement of the ROC’s century of development, with innovative activities that combine unique Taiwanese characteristics with exciting elements. \r\nAs an expression of the determination of the government and the tourism industry to promote tourism together, the “Tour Taiwan – Feel the Centennial Excitement” program was launched by President Ma, Deputy Minister Chen, \r\n\r\n\r\nTaiwan Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai, and representatives from the tourism industry, who proclaimed that they would work together to achieve the goals of the “Tour Taiwan – Feel the Centennial Excitement” program.\r\nBesides attending in person and helping to inaugurate the “Tour Taiwan – Feel the Centennial Excitement” program together with tourism leaders, President Ma gave an address and stressed that Taiwan’s tourism industry should make full use of the opportunities presented by direct flights across the Taiwan Straits to be proactive and target the world to attract more international travelers to Taiwan. Deputy Minister Chen announced that the

\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTaiwan Tourism Bureau is currently carrying out the “Project Vanguard for Excellence in Tourism” program, which is designed to take advantage of Taiwan’s geographic location and make the island into an essential hub for the flow of people and goods. This objective will be facilitated by a plan to build the Taoyuan Aviation City and another to develop Kaohsiung Harbor into a home port for East Asian marine navigation. These plans will help to bring more international travelers to Taiwan and turn the island into an East Asian tourism hub.

Two “Special Tourism Promotion Awards” were presented during the celebration. One went to Toru Nakamura, Chairman of the Japan Tourism Association, and the other to Diane Ying, chairwoman of the CommonWealth Magazine. Chairman Nakamura was born in Taipei and has a deep affection for Taiwan. For years, he has promoted tourism exchange and friendly interaction between Taiwan and Japan. He has helped tourism organizations in the two countries to set up a platform for communication, and has organized regular Taiwan-Japan Tourism Summits; further, he brought about the designation of 2010 as “Taiwan-Japan Tourism Exchange Year.” Chairwoman Ying organized the “319 Townships Smile Passport” campaign in 2001, 2005, and 2007, which resulted in at least 3 million people experiencing the beauties of Taiwan up close by joining in walks through local towns and villages. In 2009, the CommonWealth magazine also designed 25 different “Taiwan image” postcards which were made available to the public, so that they could mail Taiwan’s beauty to friends all over the world. These two awards were presented by President Ma personally in recognition of the outstanding contributions made by Mr. Nakamura and Ms. Ying to Taiwan’s tourism development.

In addition to the “Special Tourism Promotion Awards”, other awards were also given out during the celebration: “Taiwan Tourism Awards,” “MOTC Outstanding Tourism Professional Awards,” “Special Tourism Booster Awards,” “Theme Park Competition Awards,” “Municipal Hotel and Breakfast and Bed management Awards,” “Outstanding Tourism Enterprise and Group Awards,” “Outstanding Tourism Professional Awards,” and “Tourism Booster Awards.” The awards were presented to a total of 216 groups and individuals from Taiwan and overseas.

What is else is happening in Taiwan?

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\r\n\r\n\t\r\n \r\n2010 Taipei International Flora Expo -Featuring a theme of “River, Flower, New Horizon”, the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo is set to launch in November 2010. According to the mayor of Taipei, the purpose of this expo is “to inspire visitors to embrace new ideas and implement green practices for themselves, thereby achieving the goal of protecting our precious Earth in all its unique beauty.”

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