The Taipei International Travel Fair is featuring more eco-friendly tours at its upcoming event. The fair's theme is "sustainable travel" and the event will be held from November 4 to 7 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.
Taiwan Visitor Association chairperson Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) says that the tours featured at the travel expo have become more environmentally-conscious. She says some tours have expanded to devote more time to exploring nature rather than just the main cities.
Yeh says the pandemic has affected people's living, spending, and travel habits. But she adds that the number of participants in the travel fair is 50% more than last year.
Yeh says the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has reported that the tourism industry's GDP around the world may grow by almost 6% in the next 10 years. That's twice as much growth as WTTC's prediction for the overall global GDP during that same period. She says this rise in the tourism industry could create 125 million new job opportunities around the world and boost Taiwan's economy.
This is the first international travel fair being held in-person since Taiwan opened its borders on October 13. The expo will feature over 70 countries, 40 travel agencies, as well as representatives from 130 hotels and restaurants. Altogether there will be around 1,200 stands at the convention.