Taiwan is on the rise as an incentive destination, with CSR and teambuilding activities at the top of companies’ bucket lists, said industry players at a networking event hosted by Meet Taiwan, the Bureau of Foreign Trade’s business events promotion agency.
Lucia Lan, manager of Taiwan Tour, said her agency incorporates local stories and experiences into teambuilding exercises, such as building and sailing a raft and staging an opera performance. Lan added that the country’s abundance of natural attractions and cultural experiences makes it fertile ground for creative teambuilding activities.
Other popular CSR activities include beach clean-ups and handicraft workshops that give back to local communities. For instance, Ably Conference and Exhibition organised a student charity event for a Shanghai delegation.
Even traditions like face threading – facial hair removal believed to bring luck to brides-to-be – can be integrated into teambuilding contests as a ‘penalty’, shared assistant supervisor of inbound agency Lion Travel Service, Jose Hsu.
Such experiential activities are sought after by companies. Corporate event management agency 8th Wave’s senior sales executive, Kristen Jade, told TTGmice: “We would like our clients to experience the local culture and food. Taiwan’s CSR and teambuilding activities are very interactive – that’s what I find attractive about Taiwan.”
Meanwhile, Meet Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy has prompted stronger promotional efforts in the 10 ASEAN countries, six South Asian countries, as well as Australia and New Zealand.
Among these, India is Taiwan’s fast-growing source market for business events, noted Taiwan Tourism Bureau Singapore Office’s director, Trust Lin.
“Indian groups look for more traditional, luxurious and ‘flashy’ experiences,” observed Lin.
