The tourism promotional task forces led by Tourism and Travel Bureau, Taichung City Government, have left for Japan to promote Taichung World Flora Expo. Director Shen-shan Chen visited Mayor of Nagoya Takashi Kawamura and passed the invitation card sent by Mayor Chia-lung Lin to welcome the representatives of Nagoya to participate in the opening ceremony of Flora Expo and international dance parade and festival today (2nd). Mayor Kawamura said, both Nagoya and Taichung are cities of happiness, he is happy for Taichung City to have the World Flora Expo held there. And he will strongly encourage the citizens of Nagoya to take the direct flight to Taichung for visiting Flora Expo.

Director of Tourism and Travel Bureau, Taichung City Government, Shen-shan Chen led the tourism promotional task-force team to Nagoya to conduct the collaboration meeting and seminar of Flora Expo at the Hotel Nagoya. 40 travel agencies and media in Nagoya area were invited to participate in the introduction of the exhibitions and ticket information of Flora Expo. The tourism related companies from Taichung and the agencies from Nagoya can discuss face to face to facilitate the commercial deals for Flora Expo trips. All the participants discussed a lot lovely and satisfied with the communications. Also, Director of Taiwan Visitors Association, Tokyo Office, Tourism Bureau, MOT, Yi-ping Cheng and General Manager of Nagoya Division of China Airlines, Shi-hwa Liu were there to assist the related business for Taichung Flora Expo promotion.

Director Chen said, Taichung International Airport the first sister airport of Nagoya Chubu Centrair International Airport in Asia and it’s the anniversary of the treaty of friendship signed by both of the cities. The direct charter flight from Taichung to Nagoya now is a 「regular charter flight」at a regular basis which get the communications between two cities much busier and closer. Meanwhile, the City Government will aggressively facilitate the direct charter flight of Flora Expo between two airports to invite the people to visit Taichung from Nagoya and central Japan, then the flight may further become the regularly scheduled flights.

Director Chen explained more, this year is the tourism year of Flora Expo, with the alliance of Chubu Centrair International Airport of Japan, the City Government can lead a team to Nagoya for conducting the exhibition. The「Roadshow」can be conducted at the event square of Chubu Centrair International Airport in Japan with the people traffic of more than 20 thousand of tourists during a single day will attract the media to report. The reports of local broadcasting networks and media will dramatically increase the international exposure of Taichung City. Nagoya Broadcasting Network and the Japanese travel agencies have collaborated to shoot the promotional film of tourism in Taichung. Japanese tourists were invited to travel around 7 Cities and Counties in central Taiwan through the traveling experiences in depth during the Flora Expo period. We expect there would be more than 3 million of international tourists staying in Taichung during the Flora Expo season.

Mayor Kawamura said, both Nagoya and Taichung are cities of happiness, he is happy for Taichung City to have the World Flora Expo held there. And he will strongly encourage the citizens of Nagoya to take the direct flight to Taichung for visiting Flora Expo. The teams from Nagoya city will attend the international competition of flowers during Taichung Flora Expo period. He appreciates Direct Chen agreed he will fully support the related exhibitions and promotions then.

Mayor Kawamura said more, the young people from two cities can interact with each other closely through the Nagoya Yosakoi and Taichung international dance parade and festival. Moreover, Nagoya city can collaborate with Taichung to participate in the exhibitions of Flora Expo means a lot. By way of the 「Taichung Week」 held at the gourmet square of Nagoya Chubu Centrair International Airport which can have the capacity of allowing more than 12 million of people traffic in a year, it can show the determination of the tourism alliance has been formed between us. We’ll take more tourists to visit central Taiwan. The regular chartered flights started from 31st March this year and take off on every Wednesday between Taichung and Nagoya, it is estimated to bring near 6 thousand of in-bound and out-bound tourists to both cities by 31st May.

The officer of Tourism and Travel Bureau said, the two-day-of tourism RoadShow conducted this time here gathered all the featured tourism related industries from Taichung, including Taichung Tourist Hotel Association, Taichung International Tourism Association, Taichung Hotel Association, Tourism Association of Taichung, Taichung Industry Story Hall Development Association, Taichung Gift Association, Association is Houli Tourism/ Culture/ Creativity Development; also, the hotel industry like Hotel National, The Howard Plaza Hotel and FM Hotel. The others including Chun Sui Tang Pearl Milk Tea, Carpenter, Lihpao Land, Ninbo Cook, Wu-chun Tea Hall, Ah-Tsing-Shih, Noodles Origin, Go nature cake, Green light+marute, Ta Chen Fong umbrella and young painter, Shi Chen etc., near 50 people of team were there to participate in the exhibitions as well. The event was highly recognized by the Japanese government and the representatives form other institutes, in addition to the full support of Nagoya Chubu Centrair International Airport, including Mayor of Komagane City Sagimoto Koji, Mayor of Tokoname City Kataoka Yoshihiko and Chubu District Transport Bureau, Nagoya City, Aichi Ken, Amir Ken and Gero Onsen Ryokan Cooperative etc. were there to support the event.

The officer of Tourism and Travel Bureau explained further, in 2016, 7 counties and cities including Taichung, Changhua, Miaoli, Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi City and Chiayi County etc. has formed the central Taiwan tourism facilitating committee to sign the 「Memorandum of Treaty of friendship memo of tourism」with Shoryudo of central Japan. The memorandum reflects the tourism alliance of 24 million populations from wide area of central Japan and 6.7 million populations from Taichung. Through the integration of the regional alliances and resources, the prefectures of central Japan, like Aichi Ken , Nagoya City, Nagano Ken , Gifu Ken , Shiga Ken , Mie Ken etc. have many cultural exchanges in Flora Expo themes including cycling, hot spring and dance parade and festival etc.