Taiwan Pavilion aims to strengthen cooperation between Taiwanese and Indonesian tourism industry players, and attract more Indonesian Muslim tourists to visit Taiwan.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Taiwanese tourism delegation from the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) is participating in Indonesia’s ASTINDO Travel Fair 2024 in Semarang city, Central Java province, from August 29 to September 1, according to a press release from the Taiwan Tourism Information Center in Jakarta, received here, Saturday.

The delegation, consisting of 30 representatives from 12 institutions, including Taiwanese travel agents and tourism associations, joined the Taiwan Pavilion, featuring various attractions, such as dance performances and DIY (Do-It-Yourself) traditional handicrafts.

Influencers, Allecia Angeline, who has more than 470,000 followers and Chelsea Vasan, with 149,000 followers, are also present at the pavilion to share their travel experiences in Taiwan.

The Taiwan Pavilion aims to strengthen cooperation between Taiwanese and Indonesian tourism industry players, and attract more Muslim tourists to visit Taiwan.

Indonesia has at least 270 million people, the fourth largest population in the world, with a majority of Muslims.

For more than a decade, Taiwan has been committed to creating a Muslim-friendly environment. In 2024, Taiwan was selected as the third best non-OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) tourist destination by the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI).

In February 2024, Taiwan opened the Taiwan Tourism Information Center in Jakarta, where people can get the latest information about Taiwan tourism directly.

In addition, the office also helps Indonesian travel agents make innovative travel products, improve communication efficiency with travel agents, and promote Taiwan tourism.

Since the opening of the office, the number of Indonesian tourists visiting Taiwan has increased significantly. From January to May 2024, a total of 91,800 Indonesian tourists visited the Formosa Island. This figure exceeds the same period before the pandemic in 2019 and shows a 16 percent growth compared to that in the previous year.

The Taiwan Pavilion at the ASTINDO Travel Fair applies bubble milk tea, an internationally renowned beverage, as the main design element, with an attractive visual style to showcase Taiwan’s culinary appeal.

At the Taiwan Pavilion, visitors can make bubble milk tea, brooches from woven natural reed grass, and print canvas bags using traditional screen printing techniques.

Those programs allow visitors to experience sustainable, environmentally friendly concepts of Taiwan’s traditional techniques.

Meanwhile, Taiwan’s internationally-renowned dance group ‘Fun to Art’ presents dances highlighting Taiwan’s diverse culinary richness and unique tourism through special choreography titled ‘Taiwan Festival 2.0’ and ‘Island Footprints’.

Taiwan in the Muslim market

To strengthen Taiwan’s position in the Muslim market, after the exhibition, the Taiwanese tourism delegation will hold a B2B (business-to-business) workshop on September 2 in Semarang for the first time.

A workshop will then be held in Surabaya, East Java province, on September 3. The later event will invite over a hundred local business actors.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau will introduce the latest tourism information on the Formosa Island, the latest tourism promotion measures, and the ‘Kuanhong’ program or special tourist visa application program.

In order to attract Muslim tourists, a Muslim tourism expert will introduce the latest information on Muslim food and accommodation facilities in Taiwan.

The workshops are expected to promote cooperation between Taiwanese and Indonesian tourism industry players.

In early 2024, Taiwan was selected as the 'Coolest Place in the World 2024' by National Geographic Traveler magazine and was named by CNN as one of the best places to visit in 2024.

In August this year, Taiwan again won the award for ‘the Best Leisure Destination in Asia’, which is perfect for family vacations, at the 12th Leisure Lifestyle Awards by U.S. Global Traveler magazine.

Reporting by Indonesia Window