Taiwan campaigns to lure Indonesian visitors

Taiwan campaigns to lure Indonesian visitors

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Taiwan's government launched here on Tuesday a campaign to
attract Indonesian businesspeople and tourists to the country,
just three days after the World Health Organization (WHO) removed
Taiwan from its list of SARS-affected areas.

In a press briefing, officials of the Taipei Economic and
Trade Office in Jakarta announced various promotions and rewards
for Indonesian businesspeople and tourists visiting Taiwan.

The rewards include free airline tickets and cash rewards of
up to US$1,000 for those going to Taiwan on shopping visits.

"We will also hold several international exhibitions
displaying automotive spare parts, automobiles, Internet
telecommunication products, electronic goods, sporting goods,
computers and souvenirs," said Derek Hsu, director of information
at the Taipei Economic and Trade Office.

For tourists Taiwan has Euro49, a tour package costing 49 euro
(US$52) per person and offering such benefits as free one-night
accommodation and a half-day city tour.

Sui Chi Lin said Taipei Economic and Trade Offices in other
countries in Asia, including Japan and South Korea, were holding
similar campaigns to encourage people to visit Taiwan.

Taiwan is the fifth largest investor in Indonesia, with
investments worth $13 billion as of May 2003. The total amount of
two-way trade between Indonesia and Taiwan in the first four
months of this year reached $43 billion and "will likely increase
by the end of this year", said Sui.