Renowned sightseeing sites in Taiwan have enjoyed a robust growth in visits from Southeast Asian tourists following implementation of the country’s New Southbound Policy.
Industry players are also stepping up efforts to provide better services for visitors, starting with better language support.
Sun Moon Lake, in the foothills of Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, has been getting popular among Southeast Asian tourists, The Liberty Times reported over the weekend.
Wen Wu Temple on the perimeter of Sun Moon Lake used to receive mainly local and Chinese-speaking visitors. But now, up to 40 percent of total visitors are Southeast Asian tourists.
This has prompted local authorities to educate frontline staff with knowledge on some basic foreign languages, notably Vietnamese.
Spouses who are new migrants and native speakers of Southeast Asian languages have been invited to be instructors to give language classes, so staff can learn how to greet and give briefings on souvenirs to visitors in their native language.
Tourist spot managers have asked the Department of Tourism and heads of the Leisure and Hospitality Management course at National Chi Nan University to help train new migrants as tour guides so they can be hired and give visitors a better experience when they visit.