hills near Taipeiwith aborigine guides –trekking through the woods and lighting a fire to cook wild pork and fish for lunch, then a dip in the Japanese-style thermal pools at nearby Volando Urai Spring Spa Resort (a surprisingly plush country hotel com- pletewithmeeting roomoverlooking a river and bushland, and offering ridiculously cheap massages). In the evening light, the aborigines present
ence
NEEDTOKNOW TAIWAN
VISA 90-day visa-exempt permit: Japan, New Zealand; 30-day visa- exempt permit: Australia, Korea,
Malaysia, Singapore. TIME GMT +eight hours CURRENCY New Taiwan dollar
(TWD). Subdivisions are rarely used as
most products sold at whole dollars. MEDICAL In rural areas be wary of
poisonous snakes. CLIMATE The Tropic of Cancer divides Taiwan. In the north it is a subtropical monsoon climate, and in the south a tropical monsoon climate. Expect heat, humidity, massive rainfall
and tropical cyclones in summer. LANGUAGES Mandarin Chinese is most commonly spoken followed by Taiwanese Hokkien. Older people may speak Japanese as well.
a theatrical cultural presentation featuring singers accompanied by the sound of a massive drum. On a floating stage on the hotel’s infinity pool a dancer performs, with the forest and misty river as the background. Near Taipei zoo, a chairlift heads into the
Maokonghillswhere groups canvisit temples and quaintmountain villageswith a distinctiveEuro- pean feel, viewtea plantations and dinewith city panoramas.Further afield fromTaipei, throughthe island’s longest road tunnel, is Yilan where groups can experience tea picking in traditional costume and visit a tea-processing factory. Nearby, via a 20-minute boat trip, is Donghan River Park with its interesting art and craft shops. Its Center for Traditional Arts offers mask painting (miniatures) as a teambuilding activity for groups looking for something artistic. In the flat Yilancountryside, surroundedby rice
paddies, the classy Formosa Pearl tea house offers a great diningexperience for
groups.There are no preset menus for the Kaiseki cuisine, and the Japanese chefmakes an appearance to lightly toast the seaweedwrappers for his conical sushi. Back in Taipei, the privately funded Xue Xue Institute has an abundance of cultural expe-
riences for groups, including tai chi and cooking classes with a local celebrity chef. It also has art, sculpture and other displays, and is known by designers internationally for its colour lab.
PLENTY OF HELP Just launched and available free for international conferences in Taiwan is the Taiwan MICE mobile app, which will enable organisers to share event photos on the go through socialmedia – providing a soft sell for the country as an event destination. Marking its third year is theMeet Taiwan Card for business
event visitors (12,000were issued in its first year to visitors from more than 60 countries). Just launched, the latest version has an integrated smart-phone app and offers special deals, shop information,QRcode scanning,GPSservice, taxiguide (just show the driver your destination via the app) andlinks to socialmedia. Taiwan, through itsBureauof Foreign Trade, alsooffers fund-
ing in the formof subsidies to encourage organisations andasso- ciations, colleges and universities and other academic organisations to hold events in
Taiwan.Therewere 217 subsidies last year, and this year local governments have become involved.
EXCITING THE DELEGATES However, infrastructure and deals are only part of the picture when it comes to choosing a destination... it ismemorable attrac- tions and experiences to excite delegates that tip the decision, and Taiwan certainly has plenty going for it in that regard. Arare chance forsmall groups is to spend a day in theWulai
2012 ISSUETWO |
WWW.EXECUTIVEPA.ASIA 25
LOOKING AHEAD In the south of Taiwan, 90 minutes fromTaipei by comfortable high-speed train (an example of the Japanese influence), is the port city of Kaohsiung, which is gearing up for business eventswith itsWorld Trade Centre, expected to open next year. With seven-pronged green certification, the centrewill include conference venues making an excellent choice for PAs. More laid back than the capital, the city has five-star home-brand hotels and an interesting arts quarter on the waterfront. E
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56