Released on 7/20/2013 at 16:17:22

(Published by Yonghua Municipal Administration Center on 07/20)

Written by Wei-Lin Chen / Department of Information and International Relations

Photographed by Fei-Ming Syue / Department of Information and International Relations

The “Blissful Tainan” delegation team, consisting of the Tainan City Government and Council, embarked on their third day's itinerary on July 20. One of the highlights of the itinerary was the “Promotion of Tainan Tourism, Local Specialties, and Medical Treatments” in the afternoon. The Hong Kong tourism industry showed keen interests about medical cosmetic treatments, barrier-free travel in Tainan City, and investment opportunities in Tainan. Tainan City Mayor Ching-Te Lai stated that when he would set up a one-stop window service counter of Economic Development Bureau, Department of Health, Tourism Bureau, and other related bureaus to accommodate the needs of tourists and investors from Hong Kong and Macao in Tainan. The Hong Kong tourism operators commented that initially they were skeptical about tourism in Tainan but they had changed their minds after hearing the briefing and decided to organize tourist groups to visit Tainan in September. Some operators from the Hong Kong tourism industry even proposed that they might form a delegation to scout around Tainan earlier. Additionally, with merely one-hour flight time between Hong Kong and Tainan, Mayor Lai assured that both regions would expand into each other's living circle shortly.

Tainan City Government's “Promotion of Tainan Tourism, Local Specialties, and Medical Treatments” was held at a banquet hall in the Kowloon Shangri-La at 3 pm to pitch Tainan tourism to more than 150 Hong Kong tourism operators. The City Government Team was led by Tainan City Mayor Ching-Te Lai. It consisted of Mei-Ling Chen, Secretary-General; Chun-An Chen, Tourism Bureau Director-General; Sheng-Che Lin, Department of Health Director-General; Han-Ching Hsu, Agriculture Bureau Director-General and Ching-Hui Chao, the Department of Information and International Relations Director-General. Numerous renowned companies from the Tainan City tourism industry also participated in the grand event, including Du Hsiao Yueh Dan-Tsu Noodles, Guanmiao TCKW pineapple cakes, Chou's Shrimp Rolls, Hanlin International Enterprise Co. Ltd., and E-chyun Dermatology Clinic.  

More than 150 Hong Kong Tourist Association personnel attended the event: including, Joseph Chung, the Executive Director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, Li-Jhih Chen, the Secretary-General of Hong Kong Association of China Travel Organisers Ltd., Huei-Ming Tang, the President of Hong Kong Branch of China Airlines, and numerous general manager level personnel from various branches of the Hong Kong tourism industry along with Hong Kong’s biggest travel service agencies such as Lotus Tours, Westminster Travel Ltd. and Wing On Travel. The venue was packed.

The event began with an approximately 10-minute long introductory movie about Tainan City. The audience was so impressed with the development and changes in Tainan that the entire audience broke into loud applause. Mayor Lai gave a speech of gratitude to acknowledge the warm welcome of Hong Kong to the Tainan City Government and Council delegation. He emphasized that now there are one-hour direct flights between Tainan and Hong Kong provided by China Airlines. In the future there will be greater chances of seeing fast-paced Hong Kong citizens strolling on Tainan streets to enjoy its slow and joyful lifestyle.

Joseph Chung, Executive Director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, on behalf of the Hong Kong tourism industry, welcomed the team of Taiwan Government & Council. He said that many of his Taiwanese friends told him that not visiting Tainan is as if not visiting Taiwan. The delightful seafood and excellent medical cosmetic treatment technology in Tainan are the dominant travel attractions for Hong Kong citizens who wish to pamper themselves.

Next, Chun-An Chen, the Tourism Bureau Director-General, presented Tainan as the city of gastronomy, gods, ecology and historic sites. Tainan embraces most of Taiwan’s three-star Michelin tourist attractions. Tainan City Government promotes three Michelin walking routes. Among these, “the Religious Tour of Fishing and Salt Industry around the West Coast” won an honorable title-first prize at the Taiwan Travel Quality Golden Awards. This tour is comprised of attractions such as visiting lagoons, salt pans, black faced Spoonbills, and religious temples

The pictures of lustrous summer rubies (mangos), Anping's Mangrove Green Tunnel and Chi Mei Museum known as Taiwan's Palais de Versailles, compelled the audience to take pictures incessantly with their mobile phone cameras. Moreover, the famous quotation from writer Shih-Tao Yeh, "Tainan is a good place for dreams, work, romance, marriage, and a carefree life," brought the house down.

Subsequently, Han-Ching Hsu, the Agriculture Bureau Director-General, introduced Tainan from “the city of agriculture” prospective. Local vegetables, fruit and leisure farms were presented in spring, summer, fall, and winter seasons in the hopes of enticing Hong Kong citizens to travel to Tainan to indulge in Tainan's slow pace of living and ecology.

Then Sheng-Che Lin, the Department of Health Director-General, provided information about two medical centers (National Cheng Kung University Hospital and Chi Mei Medical Center, which were recommended and integrated by the City's Department of Health), six regional hospitals and 16 private clinics which provide high standards of health examinations, medical beauty and dental cosmetic treatments and services. Sheng-Che Lin pointed out that there were more than 3,200 doctors in Tainan City, the highest density in Taiwan. The medical centers, hospitals and clinics that are recommended by the Department of Health had all been through its screening. They are guaranteed legitimate and safe. Over the past few decades there have been no medical disputes. With the assistance of the Medical Association and, most importantly, the common language in Hong Kong and Taiwan, patients and doctors can communicate effectively. Thus flawlessly accommodating the patients' individual needs. They promise that Hong Kong citizens will visit Taiwan happily and return to Hong Kong beautifully and well.

Dr. Cheng-Kun Wang, the President of the Tainan Medical Association, then got on the stage and supplied the costs of medical cosmetic treatments. As the prices are so reasonable, the entire audience clapped their hands to show their approval. One lady from mainland China working in Hong Kong responded that, "I will visit Tainan in September!"

In addition, there were inquiries about China Airlines' long-term flight passes, as they would like to visit Tainan two or three times a month for relaxation and sightseeing. China Airlines promised to work out this package as soon as possible. Mainland China citizens holding Hong Kong long-term working permits expressed a need for a simplified procedure for obtaining a Taiwan visa. Chun-Pao Wang, the Director of Taiwan Visitors Association's Hong Kong office stated that the office will try to deal with it as soon as it can. The Hong Kong tourism operators asked Joseph Chung, the Executive Director of the Travel Industry Council of Hong Kong, to form the industry’s own delegations. Mr. Joseph Chung declared that as long as people support the idea, he would push it forward immediately.

An accomplished, native Tainan lady who grew up and studied in Tainan and has been working in Kong Hong over a long period of time inquired about Tainan City's contact window/access as she now would like to go back to her home town to invest and contribute. Mayor Ching-Te Lai replied that the new direct flight routes have brought Tainan natives close to home, and he welcomed Tainan natives to come back home to invest. He promised to set up an integrated one-window service combining the Economic Development and other related Bureaus to deal with these matters. 

Lastly, Mayor Lai representing Tainan City, handed out supreme graded mangos and pineapple cakes to approximately 200 members of the audience from the tourism industry. The hallway was jammed.