Besides experiencing the pleasures of purchasing gifts and souvenirs in Taiwan, foreign tourists should all be able to buy Taiwanese goods online after returning to their home countries, Minister without Portfolio Tsai Yu-ling stated while convening a January 7 meeting of the Executive Yuan's electronic commerce (e-commerce) development task force.
Tourists to Taiwan exceeded 9.9 million in 2014, and this year they are expected to surpass 10 million. About three billion people around the world use the Internet, and e-commerce has cross-sector and cross-business characteristics. Therefore, various ministries should help promote new online services and nurture businesses that have a development niche so that Taiwan can perform outstandingly in the virtual world as well as the physical one, Tsai said.
This was the fourth meeting of the task force, which aims to accelerate and enhance the competitiveness of the nation's e-commerce businesses. The task force comprises deputy ministers of related ministries and engages in cross-ministerial coordination, resource integration, and legal and regulatory adjustments.
At the meeting, related ministries reported on such topics as international e-commerce developmental trends; postal logistics for e-commerce; new media, virtual performances, online gaming, and online entertainment; and information and communications security.
Tsai asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to set up a step-by-step navigation guide to making online purchases. This online guide would incorporate some 100 Taiwanese specialty stores and online-purchase platforms, and would be linked with the Tourism Bureau's website, mobile phone apps, electronic bulletin boards of tourist service centers, promotional materials as well as tourism festivals and activities. The first wave of promotional activities will dovetail with this year's Tourism Festival to augment cross-border online transactions.
This is a crucial time for the nation's tourism industry, because with the advent of the global e-commerce era the traditional consumption model is being displaced, Tsai said. The Tourism Bureau will guide small and medium-sized enterprises to take up e-commerce application and advance into the international and mainland Chinese markets.
Incentive and assistance measures will be provided to small and medium-sized travel agencies, hostels and hotels to extensively utilize e-commerce operations. This is expected to enlarge their scale of operations, drive their transformation and upgrades, and lift Taiwan's tourism production value to new heights.
In response to industry requests to relax restrictions on which products can be sold online as well as regulations regarding online advertising, Tsai asked the MOEA to work with other responsible agencies to review the relevant laws.
The MOEA stated that digital products and services are the major areas for development of e-commerce, and Taiwan's e-commerce will focus on the integration of content and technology as well as research and development of innovative applications across different domains, including virtual performances, intelligent campuses and mobile phone games.
The MOEA has also set up the Digital Content Industry Promotion and Development Office to build a base for digital innovation as well as foster innovative talents and industry models. The office will also help businesses to carve out niches in international markets.
Cash and information flows and the integration of the online and offline worlds are expected to spark cross-field industry innovation models. These models, combined with the advantages of domestic hardware and software integration, are expected to add value to Taiwan's cultural and creative industries. According to projections, in 2019 core production value will reach NT$400 billion (US$13.1 billion) while overall production value will surpass NT$1 trillion (US$32.8 billion).