President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of November 5, accompanied by Premier Wu Den-yih, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo, and Taipei International Travel Fair Organizing Committee Chairman Stanley Yen, attended the opening of the 2010 Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF). The ITF, the president said, will exhibit the creativity and vitality of Taiwan's tourism industry to the world, adding that 2010 will mark a record-breaking year for the industry.
President Ma stated that Taiwan's tourism industry grew 14.3% last year despite the nation being saddled by an economic downturn, the outbreak of the H1N1 strain of influenza, and severe devastation caused by Typhoon Morakot in southern and eastern Taiwan in early August. The president pointed out that tourist arrivals last year hit a new high of 4.4 million and are heading this year to another record of an expected 5.3 million.
The president said the government has implemented a series of measures to boost the tourism industry. These policies, aimed at relaxing restrictions and providing incentives, will help to support growth of the industry, he said. The tourism industry impacts a wide range of sectors, such as food & beverage, travel, transportation, and retail. It furthermore brings people together in friendship, the president remarked, pointing out that the friendliness and hospitality of the Taiwan people are the most important resources in promoting development of the tourism industry here.
The president said that while he is pleased by the growth in the industry, tourism facilities need to be improved, and he called on the industry and government to work hand in hand to boost investment in tourism and raise quality so that tourists to Taiwan will have a memorable time while here. This, he said, is what it will take to build a tourism industry in Taiwan like no other.