Hualien and Taitung Counties Plan to Form an Industry Alliance to Create New Cross-Regional Tourism Opportunities

A total of 32 people from the tourism departments of Taitung and Hualien Counties, together with tourism industry operators from both counties, jointly convened the "Hualien-Taitung Tourism Industry Exchange Forum" at the Taitung County Government on the morning of the 15th to discuss cross-regional tourism resource integration. This was also the first exchange forum in which both the official bodies and industry operators of Hualien and Taitung Counties engaged in cooperation. Several consensus points were reached during the meeting, including "forming a cross-regional Hualien-Taitung tourism industry alliance," "establishing a Hualien-Taitung tourism brand," "joint marketing and promotional cooperation," "promoting leisure and sports tourism," "deepening local culture toward the international stage," "jointly considering solutions to transportation bottlenecks," and "strengthening the training of local tour guide and interpretation talent." Through industrial cooperation with one another, the aim is to establish communication channels between operators and build a Hualien-Taitung in-depth tourism brand.

Chiang Hui-ching, Director of the Taitung County Tourism Department, stated at the meeting that Hualien and Taitung have abundant tourism resources, and that working together can attract more tourist sources. In the past, round-island itineraries usually passed through Hualien and Taitung in a hurry. The hope is to launch in-depth itineraries that keep visitors in Hualien and Taitung for at least four days and three nights, and to enhance the quality of tourism services within the counties, so as to attract independent travelers from home and abroad who want to experience pure mountains and waters and a slow-living lifestyle.

Peng Wei-tsu, Acting Director of the Hualien County Tourism Department, also mentioned that integration and joint marketing between the two counties is imperative, but that unilateral efforts by official bodies alone remain limited. Through this forum, both sides can share common goals, integrate the existing industries of Hualien and Taitung, and create a win-win outcome.