The Tourism Bureau of the Republic of China (Taiwan) selected Chicago as a key city to promote Taiwan tourism in its effort to attract more tourists from North America to visit Taiwan. One reason for the choice: there is a direct flight from Chicago to Taipei almost every day; travelers can fly non-stop between O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). Thus, Director General Eric Huang of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, the main representative office of Taiwan in the U.S. Midwest, today welcomed a delegation from Taiwan and addressed participants at a special Taiwan tourism event at Gallery 1500 in Chicago.
By the end of 2018, Mr. Huang told the gathering, the number of visitors to Taiwan had reached an annual record-high of 11 million people. He explained that Taiwan offers U.S. citizens visa-free entry to Taiwan on a reciprocal basis. According to statistics, almost 600,000 U.S. citizens visited Taiwan in 2018. “There is still great potential for those numbers to grow,” he asserted.
At the event, delegation members from Taiwan briefed participants on Taiwan’s authentic cultural characteristics and cuisine and held networking and business-to- business meetings. There also were lively demonstrations of how to make dim-sum and mix cocktails and other drinks. Many travel agencies and airline companies from Taiwan and the U.S. participated in the day’s event.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Taiwan Relations Act, which, according to the director general, “even more closely links the two-way interactions between Taiwan and the United States.” In fact, the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as the de facto U.S. embassy in Taiwan, has designated 2019 as the ‘Year of Tourism between Taiwan and the United States.’ Furthermore, both sides have established reciprocal relations to facilitate customs clearance at airports, such as the United States’ “Global Entry Program” and Taiwan’s “e-Gate Enrollment System,” which he said makes visits to Taiwan more convenient.
After leaving Chicago, the only U.S. city on the Taiwan tourism-promotion tour, the delegation heads for Toronto as its next North American stop.
