Taiwan has announced a simplified group visa policy to encourage tourist groups from Southeast Asian countries, including India and Indonesia, to visit the nation. The group visa is free of cost for five or more people and is aimed at promoting Taiwan as a destination for exhibitions and conferences. Taiwan is also being promoted as a locale for shooting movies.
The two-way traffic is also set to increase between India and Taiwan given the Act East Policy of the Indian government and increasing Taiwanese industrial investments in India, an expert in international relations said.
We are looking for Indian families to visit Taiwan. The travel agents have been asked to promote Taiwan as a locale for shooting movies. We are also promoting Taiwan as the destination for corporate meetings and conferences,” said Shuhan Pan, International Affairs Division, Tourism Bureau of Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
According to Pan, last year, Taiwan attracted over 40,000 Indian visitors and tourists and as per the trend the numbers are set to grow. The group visa is free of cost for five or more persons to increase the MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) movement to Taiwan.
Taiwan has also introduced a MICE Incentive Plan for the Indian market in December 2015 with MICE-centric sample itineraries, special schemes and performances designed to attract MICE groups.
Taiwan is also one of the unexplored destinations of Southeast Asia which makes it a unique offering for the adventurous Indian traveller. According to Pan, there are different categories of hotels, ranging from one-star to five-star, to suit different kinds of Indian purses. The bilateral relationship between Taiwan and India is where it is expected to take-off in a big way.
“Taiwanese industries like electronics, auto component industries and others are interested in setting up a production base in India,” an expert in international relations said, preferring anonymity.
“Most Indian homes have a Taiwanese product. Furthermore, Taiwanese companies are now looking at building up their own brands instead of being a contract manufacturer for others.
