David on Formosa

The Taipei Times today reports that the National Youth Commission is offering young travellers a free holiday in Taiwan as part of its efforts to promote tourism. It will recruit 10 travellers and subsidise them to travel in Taiwan. More details can be found in the Taipei Times article or on this website (it is one of those frustrating Taiwanese websites where they have spent far much more time on Flash animations than they have on useful content).

While Taiwan is rich in cultural, historical and natural attractions it has a long way to go before it has any chance of becoming a major international destination for backpackers. Most backpackers seek out value for money and why would they want to spend a week in Taipei when they could spend a month on a beach in Thailand or Indonesia for the same price?

The tourism infrastructure in Taiwan is severely lacking in comparison to other countries in the region like Thailand and Hong Kong. In the short term Taiwan should be looking to develop niche markets. In particular promoting Taiwan as a destination for hiking and adventure sports. Taiwan is also a major hub for trans-Pacific flights and it could encourage people to take short stopovers on their way to other destinations in Asia.