MOTC Minister Headed to APEC Tourism Meeting APEC觀光部長會議 王國材今率團赴泰

Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai led a delegation to Bangkok to attend the 11th APEC Tourism Ministers Meeting to promote the recovery of Taiwanese tourism after the pandemic. The MOTC said it would tell representatives of various countries that "Taiwan is ready," hoping that when the border opens, the country will attract more tourists. 

The delegation led by Transportation and Communications Minister Wang Kwo-tsai prepares to attend the 11th APEC Tourism Ministers Meeting in Bangkok. This year's topic is "Future of Tourism: Tourism for Regeneration," in which the attendees will discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the tourism industry in the APEC economy after the epidemic. The MOTC stated that it will communicate and share ideas with other countries. After the epidemic, Taiwan will welcome international tourists with its tourism experience focusing on mountains, forests, and the ocean.

Wang Kwo-tsai, Minister, MOTC: “We will tell all the representatives of all 21 countries inside the APEC meeting that we're all ready. As the borders open, we hope more tourists come to Taiwan. ”

As many countries gradually lift their travel bans, many low-cost airlines have also sensed business opportunities and resumed routes one after another. Tourism operators have observed high market demand for tourism and the demand for airline tickets is gradually rising. However, real recovery in the tourism industry depends on whether the ban on group tours will be lifted.

Lu Meng-lung, Tourism Operator: “At present, travel agencies are stuck with this ban on group tours. We can only say that customer inquiries for group tours are very high right now. But the problem is that we can't set up departure dates as of right now. ”

The industry bluntly stated that low-cost airlines have gradually resumed flights, so there is an additional choice for the tour operators to package trips. However, at present, it is impossible to know when border restrictions will be lifted, and tour operators are not allowed to pre-sell group tours. It is thus still difficult for the industry to prepare for the recovery. They ask the government to evaluate lifting the ban on group tours, and relax border control and quarantine periods as soon as possible.

一早就來到機場辦理登機手續，交通部長王國材率團準備啟程前往泰國曼谷，參加第11屆APEC觀光部長會議。今年主辦國將會議主題訂為「未來的旅遊：再生觀光」，討論APEC經濟體疫後面對觀光產業的挑戰與機會。交通部表示也將向各國交流，台灣在疫情後以山林大海為主主軸的旅遊體驗，歡迎國際觀光客。

交通部長王國材表示：「在APEC會議裡面，跟所有21國的代表做一個說明，我們都準備好了，隨著國境的開放，我們希望有更多觀光客到台灣來。」

交通部希望透過這次會議交流，與APEC各經濟體串流，在疫情後提高在地觀光經濟產值。隨著各國都逐步解除旅遊禁令，不少低成本航空也嗅到商機，陸續恢復疫情中停飛的航線。旅遊業者觀察，這顯示市場旅遊需求熱切，機位需求逐漸上升，不過真正能讓旅遊產業復甦的癥結，還是「禁團令」是否能解除。

旅行業者陸孟龍指出：「目前旅行社卡在禁止出團令，對於團體出團這件事來講，我們只能說民眾目前詢問度很高，可是問題是我們現在一直都沒有辦法確定可以出發的時程。」

業者直言，儘管低成本航空陸續復飛，對業者包裝商品來說多了一個選擇，但是目前無法得知邊境解禁時程，業者也不得預先銷售團體行，業界還是難以對復甦做準備，呼籲儘快評估解除禁團令，也能盡快鬆綁邊境檢疫。