To build upon the solid foundation established during the Taichung City Government’s Tourism and Travel Bureau's joint tourism promotion campaign in Japan this past April—with the participation of central Taiwan’s local governments and tourism industry representatives—the Kobe Tourism Bureau paid a warm return visit yesterday (21st). A “Taichung–Kobe Bilateral Exchange Seminar and Business Meeting” was held at the Taichung Harbor Hotel. Organized by the Kobe Tourism Bureau, the event brought together tourism industry representatives from both sides to foster deeper Taiwan–Japan tourism cooperation and jointly usher in a new chapter of mutual tourism exchange between central Taiwan and the Kansai region.
Director Chen Mei-Hsiu of the Tourism and Travel Bureau noted that the visiting Japanese delegation was composed of prominent representatives, led by Mr. Ohata Kohei, Director of the Kobe Tourism Bureau. The delegation composed of key figures from the Kobe tourism industry, including representatives from the Kobe Tourism Bureau, the branch manager of JTB Travel Agency Kobe Office, the head of Kobe Shimbun Travel Service, and the branch manager of Nippon Travel Agency, among others. They gathered at the Taichung Harbor Hotel for the “Outbound/Inbound Bilateral Business Meeting and Networking Dinner,” engaging in in-depth discussions on topics such as group tours, individual travel, and educational trips. The event yielded remarkable results.
Director Chen expressed special appreciation to the Kobe Tourism Bureau for organizing this business meeting. Since central Taiwan’s tourism delegation visited Kobe and Osaka for promotional activities in April, bilateral exchanges have become increasingly frequent. Following the visit by Director Yasuo Kawahara of the Kobe Port and Harbor Bureau to the Tourism and Travel Bureau in May, the Kobe Tourism Bureau promptly expressed its intention to plan this exchange event. Notably, the 30-member delegation traveled to Taiwan via the direct flight from Kobe to Taichung, highlighting the importance of this route for the development of Taichung’s international inbound tourism market.
According to the Tourism and Travel Bureau, several of the Taiwanese tourism operators attending this event had also participated in the promotional campaign held in Kobe this past April. The participants remarked, “To have Kobe representatives pay a return visit to us within just three months truly shows that they stand with us as partners. We are very much looking forward to more concrete opportunities for collaboration and to developing itineraries that will be even more appealing to Japanese travelers!”
The Tourism and Travel Bureau added that both Kobe and Taichung boast rich historical and cultural heritage, along with well-developed urban infrastructure. The two cities will continue to support each other in promoting tourism resources and collaborating on itinerary planning, with the aim of offering Japanese travelers a broader array of travel options.