The Promotion of Marketing Strategies

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consumption , and domestic travel accommodation length. However, we could observe that the tourism policies during 2008-2014 focus on the increase of tourists numbers and revenue. Although tourists number and revenue are the basic standard to examine the growth of a certain industry, those factors are also easily been influenced by the interaction between the bilateral relations such as economic activity or political events. Therefore, in order to avoid the annual objectives being influenced by the environmental issue, Taiwan Tourism Bureau should list specific short term goals to achieve during each long term projects, and set different phases supervision system and alternative plan to reach the goal.

5.1.2 The Integration of Tourism Resources

In terms of tourism resources, Taiwan did have a variety of resources in domestic tourism development, such as National Scenic Area, hot spring and mountain trail nature resources, as well as cultural features in cuisine and festival as night market and Sky Lantern festivals. The domestic travel in Taiwan owns plenty advantages in terms of tourism resources, which makes Taiwan has potential to develop the

international tourism industry. However, by comparison with other neighboring countries, Taiwan did not specify its advantage in the international competition. For instance, Japanese governments combined Japanese animation and created connection between the story of animation and the feature of the particular country tourism.

While Hong Kong seized the trend of Chinese craze and provided Chinese cuisine but with much more local fishing port village culture. On the other hand, Korean

government combined the popular Korean drama and the package tours to meet the preference of drama fans.

5.1.3 The Promotion of Marketing Strategies

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By comparison with the neighboring countries, we could notice that Taiwan Tourism Bureau did not have much promotion strategies only focusing on the tourism ambassadors and also attending international tourism activities. However, there is no specific seasonal event or theme tourism relevant exhibition from Taiwan Tourism Bureau in promotion activities. The tourism promotion in neighboring countries offers great examples for Taiwan to learn from. For instance, Japan built up their national rand through define local culture, such as traditional cuisine and natural culture heritage and also offering seasonal theme for tourists, such as Sakura appreciation in Spring and Hot Spring Experience package in Winter. In addition, Japan tourism government also seized opportunities to organize international event or MICE. On the other hand, to eliminate the negative impression, Hong Kong government actively invited the international media to join their tourism activity and promoted the new image of Hong Kong through a variety of media, including traditional media such as newspaper and international magazines, and also the online media access, and social media. Further, the Hong Kong government has clarified the major markets of international tourists and set specific promotion plans and discount base on their preference.

5.2 Suggestion

By comparison with tourism development in neighboring countries, although the ranking on tourism development of Taiwan has improved, those progress is only slightly on the scores instead of the real number of growth on tourists arrivals as well as the revenue, which reveals there are still some room for improvement for the

tourism development in Taiwan. Therefore, from the three perspectives that this thesis has focused on, tourism policies, tourism resources, and promotion strategies, in the

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studies with the other neighboring countries and the interview:

5.2.1 The Objective of Tourism Policies

In terms of the objective of tourism policies, what the Taiwan Tourism Bureau could enhance on the objective of tourism policies, that is to promote the specific tourist-oriented tourism policies. This thesis found as Hong Kong tourism government clarified its major sources of international tourists, and provide specific package and discount for tourists, which has made the growth of tourism revenue from negative into positive from the impact of SARS disease. Therefore, this thesis suggests that Taiwan Tourism Bureau could also specify the major sources of tourists markets and set up particular policies to catch the need of tourists. According to the finding of this thesis, during the year of 2008-2014, the four main international tourists coming from China, Japan, Hong Kong as well as Korea. As a result, Taiwan Tourism Bureau could conduct survey to analyze the preference of tourists from these four major markets.

For instance, for China the largest market among the four major markets, which continuously provides over one hundred million tourists to come, which overwhelms the Japan and become the top one tourist source since the year of 2011²².

Taiwan Tourism Bureau could provide specific tourist package for Chinese tourists who came to Taiwan for visiting the relatives with simplified arrivals and convenient local tour with their relatives. Although China is the major market of the international tourists, in order to avoid over dependence on single market, other potential markets are essential to develop and maintain. For Japan, considering the population structure and the potential market of senior citizen, the government could offer family group oriented tour package and relevant discount to provide more        

22 Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Statistics 2008-2014:

http://admin.taiwan.net.tw/public/public.aspx?no=315

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convenient traveling environment for them. For Hong Kong and Korea tourists, the government could focus much more on the teenage oriented tourist groups.

Considering the distance advantage between Hong Kong and Korea and also the trend of backpacker traveling, Taiwan Tourism Bureau could cooperate with the local tourist accommodation and the bike or scoter renting service in order to provide a more comprehensive and self assisted package tour.

5.2.2 The Integration of Tourism Resources

In order to keep up with the tourism polices and the annual goals, the integration of tourism resources and more efficient arrangement would be the first priority mission. In terms of the tourism resources, transportation and service have high connection with the friendly traveling environment. The former provides convenience of migration while the latter maintains the quality of tourism as well as the

willingness of revisit to a country. Therefore, for the integration of transportation, this thesis suggests it could start from the improve of the international airports and the transportation besides capital traveling. Reviewing the integration of transportation in neighboring countries, such as Japan and Hong Kong which upgraded the quality and capability of amount of international airport in order to cater the growing number of tourists and flights. As a result, this thesis suggests that the international airport should also integrate the quality and capability of amount as well as the breadth of airstrip to cater the growing number of tourists for the present and future development.

Also, in addition to the international airports in central and southern part of Taiwan, in order to increase the tourist growth in these areas, this thesis suggests that the Taiwan Tourism Bureau could cooperate with the neighboring countries to set up direct flight with other international airports in the neighboring countries. On the other hand, the

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capital for their trip. However, for those come to Taiwan more than once would choose other county to visit, and therefore transportation in other county would become important. As a result, this thesis suggestion that Taiwan Tourism Bureau could cooperate with the private shuttle bus companies to offer more comprehensive in different counties and make connection with the capital transportation to distribute the number of overwhelming tourists in capital and develop the tourism development in local counties.

On the other hand, in terms of integration in service of tourism resources, by comparison with the tourism development in the neighboring countries, this thesis found that what Taiwan Tourism Bureau could improve on the tourism information as well as the tourism worker quality and training. On the integration of tourism

information, Taiwan Tourism Bureau could take the example from Japan and Hong Kong government on arrangement of tourism information. The tourism information plays an important role in directing tourist to their destination. Therefore, Taiwan Tourism Bureau should establish clear and unified standard tourism information on transportation and sign arrangement. On the other hand, on the improvement the quality of tourism workers, Taiwan Tourism Bureau could learn from Japan to

enhance the education training in tourism relevant institutions especially the different sorts of languages and provide more access for vocational school students to connect with the tourism markets to upgrade the traveling environment services.

5.2.3 The Promotion of Marketing Strategies

In terms of the tourism marketing strategies, by comparison with those

neighboring countries, the tourism development in Taiwan is lack of active promotion campaign. Taiwan did not lack of tourism resources or the potential markets, but how could Taiwan strengthen its international association? From the case of Japan and

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Hong Kong, in order to promote their tourism and national brand, they have conducted research and survey on the tourist association on their tourism brand.

Through the opinion from the public tourists, Hong Kong and Japan has discovered the most popular features and increase their weakness in tourism promotion.

Therefore, to enhance the effect of tourism promotion campaign, it would be ineffective only through tourism ambassadors and attending international tourism relevant exhibitions. Instead, from the case of Hong Kong and Japan, through the investigation on exploring the unique features on tourism element of Taiwan and promoting the specified tourism elements through the fast-spreading social

networking, such as smart phone application and online media community. This thesis suggests that as the previous preliminary researches has showed the most associated elements of Taiwan in tourism are connected with culture and festival.²³ As a result, this thesis suggests in order to strengthen the effect of tourism promotion, Taiwan Tourism Bureau could conduct the regular investigation on short term, middle term and long term base and identify the strength and weakness of it from the opinion of international tourists. Further, Taiwan Tourism Bureau could increase the promotion and marketing strategies in the most popular or associated elements in tourism to enhance the effect of promotion and marketing campaign.