Vice President Annette Lu departed this morning for a visit to the Republic of Palau, a country sharing official diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Before boarding the plane, the vice president delivered a speech at the airport.
In her speech, the vice president said that she is going to visit the Republic of Palau on behalf of the president to attend the opening ceremony of a Royal Hotel that is built by a Taiwanese businessman.
The vice president said that the Republic of Palau is well known for ocean tourism and half of the tourists visiting Palau come from Taiwan, as both countries' relations can be considered as built on tourism. The opening ceremony of the Royal Hotel tomorrow is not only a big event for the Palauan tourism, but also a big event for Taiwan's diplomacy.
The vice president further emphasized that Taiwan and the Republic of Palau are both ocean countries, and Palau's experience in ocean tourism can be picked up by Taiwan. After she comes back from her trip, she will pass on the Palauan tourism experience to the tourism industry in Taiwan with a hope of building Taiwan into a country rich in tourism resources.