Tourism operators expect post-COVID rebound at Taipei travel fair

Taipei, Nov. 1 (CNA) Tourism companies have expressed optimism about the upcoming Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF), with bookings from attendees expected to surge following a fallow few years for the sector due to COVID-19.

The largest travel fair in Taiwan, the ITF will take place at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and feature 1,300 booths, the most since the COVID-19 lockdown, from 104 tourism operators, according to its organizer, the Taiwan Visitors Association.

Lion Travel Service Co. said Tuesday that it had already seen overseas tourism grow significantly in the third quarter, with travel destinations such as Japan and Vietnam posting the most impressive sales.

Online sales ahead of the Nov. 3-6 exhibition have also surged by 30 percent compared with last year's event, the travel agency said, adding that it forecast its online and offline ITF sales to double from 2022.

Silks Hotel Group, which runs the Regent Taipei hotel, said it has generated NT$40 million (US$1.2 million) in pre-event sales, up 15 percent from the same period last year.

However, there were also other local tourism operators who have more conservative forecasts about their ITF performance, some explaining that outbound tourism has taken a share of the tourism market.

Leofoo Tourism Group, which focuses on domestic lodging, dining and recreation services, said it expects to make NT$46 million in new deals from online and offline sales this time, a 2 percent growth from last year.