Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou Sunday ordered that
the government make tourism one of the six key industries for active
development on the island as warming cross-strait relations have
helped reduce the risk of war with China.
'With reconciliation between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait,
we no longer need to spend time in worrying about war,' he said.
'It is therefore necessary for the authorities to make tourism one
of our six flagship industries in order to make Taiwan a global
tourist attraction,' Ma said.
He became president in May 2008 on a platform of engaging Beijing,
and the two sides have reached a series of agreements on economic and
travel cooperation, resulting in the influx of 3,000 of Chinese
tourists to the island each day.
Ma said Hong Kong and Singapore have been able to attract more
than 10 million tourists from abroad every year, a number much bigger
than their populations.
Taiwan's Tourism Bureau launched a four-year promotion programme
this year to lure foreign tourists and to turn the island into a
transfer point for South-East Asian tourists.
It plans to bring in 10 international hotel chains, improve
tourism infrastructure and promote eco-tourism, medical tourism and
spas to attract tourism from the region and from Muslim countries.
In 2008, Taiwan received 3.84 million foreign visitors, falling
short of its goal of 4 million.
Foreign Ministry officials said cross-strait reconciliation could
allow Taiwan to join International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Taiwan has been barred from the UN-affiliated organisation, an
affiliate of United Nations, which does not recognize Taiwan as a
state since it admitted Beijing as the legal representative of China
in 1970.
Beijing objected Taiwan's participation in UN organizations, but
has compromised its stand to allow Taipei to join the annual assembly
of the World Health Organisation, another UN affiliate, in May as an
observer.
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