Taiwan's tourism promotional video targeting Indonesian audiences showcases the Formosa Island's various tourist attractions that are also Muslim-friendly.

Jakarta (Indonesia Window) - Taiwan lies from mountains towering over 4,000 meters above the sea level and covering in dense jungles to beaches that display stunning natural splendor.

With 16 indigenous tribes of the enchanting Formosa Island with a variety of customs that are preserved to this day, Taiwan offers a diversity of tempting Asian culinary delights as part of its cultural richness.

The Taiwanese people always welcome everyone who comes to this beautiful territory in East Asia with high friendliness and tolerance. They are likewise friendly to Muslim travelers who are strict about halal food and entertainment rules and need places of worship.

Although only about 36,197 square kilometers in area, the Formosa Island offers fashion shopping centers that are always updated to the latest trends, as well as being a tourist destination with a healthy lifestyle.

"This is the new 'Waves of Wonder' of Taiwan. Taiwan is like a wave, always dynamic, always new and unique, and it never stops," the Director General of the Taiwan Tourism Information Center in Jakarta, Abe Chou, said when explaining the meaning of Taiwan's latest tourism tagline 'Waves of Wonder', after the launch of the Indonesia-Taiwan tourism video in Jakarta, Friday (Feb. 21).

The Taiwan tourism promotion video, targeting the Indonesian audience, stars Indonesian celebrity Mikha Tambayong, who has also been named a Taiwan Tourism Ambassador in Indonesia.

Chou hoped that the presence of the Taiwan tourism ambassador in Indonesia, who comes from public figures or influencers would attract more Indonesians to visit the Formosa Island and enjoy the variety of tourist attractions in the East Asian region.

In addition to the Taiwan tourism video by Mikha, "there are four Indonesian key opinion leaders who will promote the four pillars of Taiwan tourism, namely nature, food, shop, and love," Chou noted.

According to him, the promotional film would be displayed to the public in Indonesia starting in the first quarter of 2025 through various digital platforms, including outdoor electronic boards, exhibitions, and other media.

"We hope that more and more Indonesians would visit Taiwan and create a new 'wave' of tourism in Taiwan," Chou said, adding that the the government has provided many facilities for tourists in the archipelagic country to travel to the Formosa Island.

Currently, there are three airlines that provide direct flights from Jakarta to Taipei, namely China Airlines, EVA Air, and STARLUX Airlines, at affordable prices. In addition, another facility provided by Taiwan for Indonesians to visit the Formosa Island is an electronic visa (e-visa).

While in Taiwan, Indonesian tourists, especially Muslims, do not need to worry about enjoying halal food and drinks, and performing the five daily prayers.

“There are more than 300 places of worship for Muslims provided in public places, as well as halal-certified restaurants,” Chou explained, in the hope that the number of Indonesian tourists visiting Taiwan would double by 2025, to 500,000 from around 220,000 tourists recorded last year.

On the same occasion, the Head of the Taipei Economic and Trade Office (TETO) in Jakarta, Bruce Hung, stated, “2025 is a good year to start promoting Taiwanese tourism in Indonesia.”

“Year 2025 is also a new chapter in the increasingly good and close friendship between Indonesia and Taiwan. Currently, there are around 400,000 Indonesian citizens living in Taiwan, both for education and work purposes. Indonesians are known to be polite and humble, so they are very compatible with Taiwanese,” Ambassador Hung underlined.

He noted that all areas of Taiwan in the north, south, central, and east offer their own unique tourist sites.

“However, the best time to visit Taiwan is now!,” TETO’s chief said enthusiastically.

In 2023, Mastercard and CrescentRating jointly released the Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI), which ranked Taiwan third among non-Organization of Islamic Cooperation (non-OIC) destinations.

Currently, major transportation hubs and a large number of tourist attractions in Taiwan, such as the international airport, Taipei Main Station, Kaohsiung Station, Hualien Station, and Taichung High Speed Rail Station, as well as thirteen national tourist areas, and expressway service areas, have Muslim’s prayer rooms.

Reporting by Indonesia Window