The rise and rise of a new island destination

14/06/2011

The recently released ICCA rankings have revealed that Taiwan has undergone an immense surge in popularity.

Last year, 138 association meetings were organized in Taiwan, an increase of 47 on the previous year, which moves it up a remarkable nine places to 23^rd overall in the world country rankings and 5^th in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East region. Its capital city, Taipei, hosted 99 of these events, a significant increase on the 64 held there in 2009, which placed it 11^th in the ICCA city rankings and 2^nd in Asia, up from 32^nd and 8^th respectively.

But how has Taiwan achieved such a rapid rise in the world MICE market? Its success has been put down to the introduction of two initiatives designed to promote the state as a meetings destination, the Taiwan MICE Advancement Program and Meet Taiwan, its new convention bureau, which have helped to make meeting planners aware of all the advantages the island offers.

Named ‘Ilha Formosa’ or ‘the beautiful island’ by the Portuguese traders who spotted it from their ship in 1544, Taiwan is a natural paradise. Due to its mountainous landscape, it is home to a wide variety of geographical features, including sub-tropical ecosystems, alpine forests, deep winding gorges, such as the famous Taroko Gorge, tropical beaches and marine ecology, as well as 7 national parks and 13 national scenic areas. Featuring charming towns and ornate temples, its culture is just as interesting as the scenery.

A modern economy that has greatly developed over the last ten years, Taiwan is now a global leader in the technology industry, and possesses an exceptional infrastructure. Many of its amenities, including shops, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, are open 24 hours a day, while English is widely spoken.

Taiwan’s MICE facilities are just as impressive, and it boasts world-class convention and exhibition centers. With the introduction of Meet Taiwan, it now also offers an exceptional range of tools to help meeting planners plan their events.

www.meettaiwan.com