Theme

Youth Travel in Taiwan – Let's be friends

Objectives

I. Interest young people globally in getting to know Taiwan. (10,000 monthly hits on youth travel website)

II. Attract young people globally to experience Taiwan. (Receive over 30,000 discriminating people.)

III. By 2008 increase Taiwan’s share of the international youth tourism market by 25%.

Publicity targets

Primarily international youngsters aged between 15 and 30, with the young people of Taiwan also to be invited to take part.

Target markets

Primary: Japan; Hong Kong and Macao, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia

Secondary: US, Europe, New Zealand, Australia

Primary products

1. Primary activities: (Integrating private sector development of youth travel package products.)

(1) Yanshuei Beehive Firecracker (February)

(2) The Da Jia Matsu Pilgrimage (March)

(3) The Lanyu Flying Fish Sacrifice (June)

(4) Ilha Formosa Halloween Festival (July – September)

(5) Ilha Formosa Music Festival (July – October)

(6) Swim across Sun Moon Lake (September)

(7) Annual important events for the youth to experience (e.g. National Palace Museum 80 th anniversary)

2. Top 10 Not to be Missed: Taipei 101, Ding Tai Fong dumplings, pearl milk tea (bubble tea), Taitung aboriginal tribes, Hwatoyao (Chinese pottery kilns), Meinong (Hakka village), Sia Hai Cheng Huang Temple (to seek one’s romantic fate), art salons and studios, 24 hours non-stop shops, and Chinese learning.

3. Strongly recommended products: Each department will supply three to five of its best products, coordinating optimal food, accommodation and travel information, and providing contact details of information contact points. Product information should contain suggested itineraries, travel tips, things worth seeing or doing (scenic spots, activities, etc.) board and lodging arrangements, points to note, contact points:

(1) Forestry Bureau: To recommend national footpaths

(2) National Sports Council: To recommend cycle paths

(3) Council for Cultural Affairs: Cultural and historic tourism in cities, community cultural tourism.

(4) Tourism Bureau: Touring Taiwan by rail, national scenic areas, eight scenic spots from the flagship tourism plans of Taiwan and each city and county.

(5) Council of Indigenous Peoples: The tribal scenic spots of the Smangus tribe Jianshih Township, Hsinchu County, of Nansan Village, Alishan Township, Chiayi County, and of Kadibu, Taitung City, Taitung County.

(6) Ministry of the Interior: National Parks.

(7) Veterans Affairs Commission: Eight large farms.

(8) Council of Agriculture: Leisure farms

(9) Other: All important products that are suitable for the youth to explore are welcome to recommend.

Primary services

Digital Tour Buddy(mobile phone), youth travel handbooks, youth travel website, traveler call centers, traveler information service system, Tour buddy(this section is implemented by the Action Plan to Promote International Youth and Student Travel in Taiwan.)

Promotional principles

1. The primary target markets of Japan, Hong Kong and Macao, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, for geographical reasons; relatively near to Taiwan, and know Taiwan well. So the main focus here is on the new products and rewards, in order to stress, “experiencing Taiwan.”

2. As regards the secondary target markets of the US, Europe, New Zealand and Australia, which are further away from Taiwan, the main focus is on image, to forge a “new impression” of young Taiwanese tourists, to educate the young people of these countries so that they will get to know Taiwan.

Publicity strategy
and measures

1. Promotion Events

2. Produce, as youth travel promotional items:

(1) Youth travel handbook

(2) Produce a promotional film (Invite international and Taiwan directors or international, up-and-coming, young directors to shoot a short “image film.”)

(3) Posters

(4) Youth travel website

3. Participation

(1) Taiwan youngsters to participate in:

a. Publicly solicited Top 10 short promotional films shot by youngsters.

b. Organization of a youth travel film competition, publicly soliciting youth travel film works.

c. Encouraging young people to recommend fun scenic spots and ways to amuse oneself in Taiwan.

(2) Each ministry will participate together.

a. Coordinate with Ministry of Transport and Communications Tourism Bureau’s special publicity conducted through its promotional channels (such as invitations to youth travel media, familiarization tours for professionals coming to Taipei).

b. The Youth Travel Year banner and logo to be placed at the Top 10, each of the primary product scenic spots, youth hostels, each travel services center, as well as at citizen camp scenic tourist spots.

c. Request the Civil Aeronautics Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communication to coordinate an airline and passenger cabin video and magazine publicity.

4. Publicly enlist an NPO or public relations company with an international field of vision, to conduct publicity, with a limited budget, within youth travel channels (STA Travel, Lonely Planet, ZUJI, youth international travel magazines, and so on). Separately, on the youth international channels of international television, broadcast the Taiwan image video, stressing the main features of the market, the channel marketing publicity plans and their implementation.

Methods of Promotion

1. Push schools at the senior-high level and above to boost their international student exchange activities (such as increasing sister-school exchanges and student association exchanges, promoting educational tourism, and so on.)

2. Encourage civilian organization of international youth exchange activities, and draft the principles relating to subsidies for such purposes.

3. With the Tourism Bureau, jointly direct Chinese Taipei Youth Hostel Association to become formal members of the International Youth Hostel Federation, to assist the international promotion.

4. Combine with the Tourism Bureau and important international travel exhibitions and promotional meetings, to conduct marketing and promotion.

5. Make use of the overseas missions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to assist with the conduct of promotion towards youth groups and associations, schools, and so on, in the countries in which such missions are stationed.

6. Coordinate with Ministry of Education mobilization of study abroad student association system, to assist with promotion.

Methods of sales promotion

1. Publicly select NPOs or travel agencies to bring overseas youngsters to Taiwan, and provide rewards and subsidies.

2. Provide coordination and encouragement for the private sector to produce youth travel products.

3. Design the primary concessionary measures (e.g. youth travel card, Chinese learning course, TR Pass)

This promotion plan is required to be reviewed and modified annually.