Together, they will set up the “Taiwan Pavilion” to jointly showcase Taiwan’s incentive travel policies and MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Exhibitions) environment to European buyers, with the aim of attracting more international organizations and corporations to hold meetings, exhibitions, and events in Taiwan, thereby driving the recovery of business tourism and boosting domestic consumption.

IMEX Frankfurt is one of the most influential MICE exhibitions in the world, attracting around 15,000 MICE professionals from 160 countries each year. According to IMEX reports, the number of exhibitors and meetings has surpassed last year’s figures. Exhibitor scale continues to expand globally to showcase the charm of their respective countries or regions. This year, the Taiwan Pavilion will feature Taiwan’s unique food culture, scenic spots, and architecture, providing buyers with a multi-sensory experience that highlights Taiwan’s rich tourism resources. Through on-site buyer presentations, Taiwan will introduce its high-quality incentive travel and MICE environment to buyers from various countries, with the expectation that businesses will develop new MICE opportunities and further drive the development of Taiwan’s MICE tourism industry.

Europe is an important source of visitors for Taiwan’s tourism industry.

In 2023, 184,229 European visitors came to Taiwan for business and tourism purposes, accounting for 61.62% of the total European visitors that year, an increase of 18.26% compared to the previous year. In January 2024, 23,829 European visitors came to Taiwan, with 63.7% entering for business, MICE, and tourism purposes, showing tremendous potential and growth momentum.

To promote Taiwan as a destination for large-scale European incentive travel and MICE events, a total of 8 leading Taiwanese incentive travel and MICE companies have been recruited for this event, including 1 travel agency, 2 professional conference organizers (PCOs), 3 destination management companies (DMCs), 1 professional exhibition organizer (PEO), and 1 professional MICE venue. They will engage in business negotiations with international buyers. Currently, buyer appointment requests are robust, with event planners and travel agencies being the main buyers.

This event will also promote the “Regulations for Subsidizing Incentive Travel to Taiwan from Overseas.” Starting this year, the subsidy threshold has been relaxed to enhance Taiwan’s advantage as an incentive travel destination. Additionally, a budget of NT$10 million has been allocated to subsidize accommodations for business travelers who extend their stay for leisure purposes after their business trip. The subsidy amount has been increased, with a subsidy of approximately NT$2,000 per person per stay from Monday to Thursday (weekdays) and approximately NT$1,500 per person per stay from Friday to Sunday (weekends), providing differentiated subsidies for weekdays and weekends to alleviate peak weekend demand and encourage midweek leisure extensions. The subsidy period has also been extended, with the leisure extension eligible for subsidies within 3 days before or after the MICE event. Combined with the Tourism Administration’s recommended quality tour packages, business travelers are encouraged to extend their stay in Taiwan. The goal is to increase the total number of international visitors to Taiwan to 10 million in 2024.