Tai Pan Tours' Lisa Lau with Thomas Chang & Sasha Chou of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau
Tai Pan Tours' Ann Yuen-Kwan Lee & Wellan Liang
Dean Rogers & Nancy Orfeo of American Express
Ryan Chiu & Avery Chuang of Eva Air
“Ilha Formosa, Taiwan will touch your heart! Ilha Formosa, Taiwan will touch your heart!” – Is a phrase from a Taiwanese folk song and the opening remarks that Thomas Chang, Director of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, so eloquently sang as he welcomed guests to a recent event, co-hosted by Tai Pan Tours. The 60 travel professionals who gathered at the Eaton Chelsea Hotel in Toronto were noticeably impressed by Mr. Chang’s spontaneous performance.
Taiwan was named Ilha Formosa, “Beautiful Island,” by Portuguese sailors in the late 16th century. But according to Lisa Lau, Global Development Manager for Tai Pan Tours, this beautiful island remains somewhat overshadowed by some of its neighbouring countries. “A lot of people have been to Asia – China, Thailand, Japan and Vietnam,” she said. “But not too many people have been to Taiwan, and the country has so much to offer.”
According to Danny Ang of American Express, selling Taiwan poses a bit of a challenge. “Places like Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong are often done in one tour, or added as a pre or post tour along with a Yangtze River cruise,” he said. “But Taiwan is an island on its own and clients don’t often ask for it. Those who travel there must really want to go and choose it intentionally.”
It’s not that Taiwan is inaccessible or difficult to get to. Star Alliance member Eva Air offers 4 weekly flights to Taipei from both YVR and YYZ. And with the recent launch of its new brochure Explorer, Tai Pan Tours offers 4 different programs to the destination – all of which include overnight accommodations in specially selected 4 to 5 star hotels.
“Our fully-guided, English speaking tours are suited for the North American mainstream market,” said Lau. “These are not cookie-cutter tours. We’ve customized them and made them more interactive.”
The Taiwan Tourism Bureau is promoting the island with 6 distinct travel themes: Culture; Eco tourism; Biking; Romance; Cuisine and Shopping. With a brief presentation and then a series of promotional videos that focused on each of the themes, guests were convinced that there was no shortage of activities or attractions in Taiwan that would most definitely appeal to their clients travelling to Asia.
And of course, when the price is right… Guests at the event seemed pleasantly surprised with Tai Pan’s affordable price point. “Their packages are priced quite well,” said Ang. “I’d definitely suggest travelling to Taiwan with Tai Pan the next time a client requests a trip to Asia.”
