Cheese Report February 2024

Tourism Industry Update

• Taiwan Outbound Departure Statistics for November 2023 (Dec. data out Feb. 16th.)
• Taiwan Inbound Visitor Statistics for November 2023 (Dec. data out Feb. 16th.)
• DGBAS Latest Economic Indicators for December 2023(Partial data based on November figures)
• Travel Industry Warned: Strict Penalties of NTD $500,000 for Unauthorised Solicitation, Says Tourism Administration M.O.T.C.
• Surge of Over Sixfold in International Tourist Arrivals to Japan in 2023, Setting a New Spending Record, with Taiwanese Visitors Topping Expenditure Charts
• Booming Mainland China Tourism Raises Concerns among Tourism Agencies: Tourism Administration Offers Clarification on Potential Changes amid Eased Travel Restrictions
• 90% of Travellers Intending to Pursue Travel with Their Loved Ones in 2024 According to  the “Travel Pulse” Survey in Asia Pacific
• Union Vote Approval Grants EVA Air Pilots the Right to Strike

Media News

• Reviewing 2023 Digital Trends: The Dawn of GA4 Era, AI Applications Surging, Retail Media Advertising Thriving. Have You Kept Pace with the Trends?
• 2024 Top 10 IT Trends: The Removal of Third-Party Cookies is Confirmed, How Could Advertisers Adopt New Methods to Serve Relevant Advertising to Users?
• Not Just a Social Media Platform: Instagram Becomes a Search Engine for Travelling. From Inspiration to the Booking Phase, New Startup Has Secured a $3 million Seed Investment Opportunity
• Aiming to Take Over Google Search, Perplexity AI Has Raised $73.6 million Including From Jeff Bezos and NVIDIA

Case Studies

• Cathay Pacific Airways, Air Macau and Macao Government Tourism Office Campaign

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ー Tourism Industry Update ー

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Taiwan Outbound Departure Statistics for November 2023

(Dec. data out Feb. 16th.)

1. In November 2023, the total number of outbound travelers reached 1,096,976, showing a growth rate of 296.64% compared to the same period in the year 2022, which had 276,570 travelers.
2. For November 2023, the top destination for outbound Taiwanese travelers was Japan, followed by China, Vietnam, Korea, and Hong Kong. Compared to the same period in 2022, China experienced the highest growth rate at 1201.44%.

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Taiwan Inbound Visitor Statistics for November 2023

(Dec. data out Feb. 16th.)

In November of the year 2023, the number of incoming tourists to Taiwan reached 689,105, exhibiting a growth of 298.01% compared to the same period in the previous year (2022).

^{Source: Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications
Full Article：https://bit.ly/40MGnxT
https://stat.taiwan.net.tw
https://bit.ly/3nSfICk}

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DGBAS Latest Economic Indicators for December 2023 (Partial data based on November figures)

1. In December of the year 2023, the employment rate in Taiwan was 11.158.3 million people, with an unemployment rate of 399,000 people, resulting in an unemployment rate of 3.33%. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.40%, and the labor force participation rate stood at 59.26%.
2. In November, the average regular monthly salary for all employed individuals (including both local and foreign full-time employees, as well as some part-time employees) was NT$45,610, showing a monthly increase of 0.08% and an annual increase of 2.11%. Non-regular income, including bonuses and overtime pay, amounted to NT$6,301, bringing the total average salary to NT$51,911, reflecting a yearly increase of 0.84%. Among part-time employees, the average regular hourly wage was NT$199, with a monthly decrease of 0.50% and an annual increase of 1.02%.

^{Source: DGBAS Latest Indicators
Full Artical}

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Travel Industry Warned: Strict Penalties of NTD $500,000 for Unauthorised Solicitation, Says Tourism Administration

M.O.T.C.

After the lifting of pandemic restrictions, the tourism industry is gradually recovering. However, there is a growing issue of individuals selling travel packages to travellers through online group chat without authorisations. In response, the Tourism Administration M.O.T.C. points out that the travel industry operates under a special system which requires companies to complete official registration and obtain a travel agency license to solicit clients. Unauthorised solicitation may result in penalties of up to NTD $500,000. The Bureau underscores that by choosing a legitimate travel agency, travellers can ensure the quality and safety of the travel experience.

^{Source: Newtalk
Full Artical}

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Surge of Over Sixfold in International Tourist Arrivals to Japan in 2023, Setting a New Spending Record, with Taiwanese Visitors Topping Expenditure Charts

Despite a decrease of 2.76 million Taiwanese tourists compared to the tourist number of South Korean, Taiwanese travellers exhibited remarkable spending power in Japan last year, securing the top spot globally with expenditures reaching ¥7.786 trillion (approximately NT$1,693.5 billion).

Official data from Japan indicates that due to the cancellation of border restrictions and the weakened Japanese yen exchange rate, Japan’s international visitor number surged to 79% of pre-pandemic 2019 levels in 2023, a more than sixfold increase from 2022, reaching to a total number of 25.07 million people.

The international tourists’ expenditure in Japan soared to a record-breaking ¥5.29 trillion (equivalent to £34 billion or NT$1.24 trillion) last year, highlighting a substantial increase.

^{Source:  cmmedia
Full Article}

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Booming Mainland China Tourism Raises Concerns among Tourism Agencies: Tourism Administration Offers Clarification on Potential Changes amid Eased Travel Restrictions

Last year, the Ministry of Transportation announced the removal of the ban on tour groups to Mainland China starting March 1. However, concerns are now arising within the travel industry about potential changes to the ban as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) continues its consecutive governance. Industry insiders note that over 60% of current Mainland China travel packages have already been sold, indicating significant demand. Chou, Yung-Hui, Director-General of the Tourism Administration, stated today that the decision to lift the ban would be contingent on actual sales by tourism agencies, with detailed plans expected to be announced in February.

Following last year’s announcement by the Ministry of Transportation, many travel agencies began rolling out Mainland China group travel packages towards the end of the year, with departure dates primarily scheduled between March and June. During this process, the Mainland Affairs Council initially proposed a daily limit of 2,000 individuals, sparking discontent within the travel industry. Minister of Transportation Wang, Kuo-Tsai had previously emphasised that overselling by travel agencies will not be happening.

_{Source: udn}
^{Full Article}

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90% of Travellers Intending to Pursue Travel with Their Loved Ones in 2024 According to  the “Travel Pulse” Survey in Asia Pacific

Solo travel isn’t the only option anymore after the pandemic. The travel and experience online platform Klook revealed the results of “2024 Asia Pacific Travel Pulse” survey. 90% of travellers intend to pursue trips loved ones, with a preference towards partners and family, declaring that shared experiences as their new love language. 64% of Millennials and Gen Zs in Asia Pacific are increasing their travel budgets in 2024, with nearly half of them willing to spend up to 50% or more on their holidays.

In 2024, Millennials and Gen Zs across Asia Pacific will break away from pandemic habits of me-time and solitary routines of self-care, and will actively choose to venture back on the road to connect and discover with their loved ones. Klook COO and Co-Founder Eric Gnock Fah observes that these travel trends are reflective of a post-pandemic world, where the pandemic-induced isolation and increased digitisation of lives have left people yearning for connection. “As we move past the pandemic and era of revenge travel, we observe a transformative shift in travel dynamics. It’s no longer just a journey; it’s the embodiment of a new love language — shared experiences. Travel has become an essential outlet, offering individuals the chance to connect genuinely with themselves, their loved ones, and the world around them.”

^{Source: money.udn
Full Article}

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Union Vote Approval Grants EVA Air Pilots the Right to Strike

Under the assistance of the Taoyuan Pilot Union, pilots of EVA Air conducted a strike vote to assert their rights. The vote, completed this morning, involved 1,398 members, with 910 members participating. The results revealed 900 votes in favour and 10 votes against, granting them the right to strike.

EVA Air pilots are advocating for a 20% salary increase, higher allowances for overseas assignments, and a demand to prohibit the use of illegal foreign pilots. With the assistance of the Taoyuan Pilot Union, the strike vote was carried out today. The pilot union stated on the 18th that the strikes during the upcoming Lunar New Year will be announced 24 hours in advance.

_{Source: Apple Online}
^{Full Article}

ー Media Newsー

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Reviewing 2023 Digital Trends: The Dawn of GA4 Era, AI Applications Surging, Retail Media Advertising Thriving. Have You Kept Pace with the Trends?

In 2023, digital marketing, operating under stringent privacy policies, saw businesses placing a heightened emphasis on the value of first-party data. By directly interacting with customers to gather data and integrating personalised marketing strategies, companies aimed to enhance customer satisfaction and stand out in the competitive landscape. This year witnessed a significant challenge for marketers with the transition from GA3 to GA4 amid breakthroughs in digital marketing and advertising technology. Redefining GA4 metrics and leveraging GA4+BigQuery for collecting first-party data emerged as crucial advantages for businesses in mastering their data. Moreover, in the era of data-driven decision-making, artificial intelligence played a pivotal role, with generative AI like ChatGPT finding widespread applications across various industries. Despite its immense potential, training personnel and navigating operational challenges remained hurdles. The rise of retail media advertising created new revenue streams for the retail industry and effectively boosted advertising conversion rates. Short-form video content continued its dominance in social media, with Reels breaking limits to persist as the short-form video leader, capturing the video market. Connected TV (CTV) advertising emerged as a battleground for advertisers on large screens, contributing to the ongoing fervour and evolution in the video market.

^{Source: BusinessNext
Full Article}

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2024 Top 10 IT Trends: The Removal of Third-Party Cookies is Confirmed, How Could Advertisers Adopt New Methods to Serve Relevant Advertising to Users?

3 years after Google announced to set to stop the use of third-party cookies in their hugely popular browser, Chrome, the date of turning off 3PC is finalised. Starting in Q1 2024, Google will begin phasing out support for third-party cookies in Chrome by disabling them for 1% of users. This initial deprecation comes ahead of a broader phase-out for all Chrome users by Q3 2024. The removal of third-party cookies will make it harder in 2024 for advertisers to track the web activity of potential consumers, which will have a considerable impact on things like re- marketing.

This will force major changes in how digital advertising operates. However the impacts of turning off 3PC are more than that. The shift towards relying on first-party cookies will heavily favour large companies that have the most access to first-party data. Numerous companies engage in applications such as personalised content delivery, cross-site personalised services, cross-site identity verification, and member data collection as part of their marketing strategies. However, the effectiveness of these cross-site tracking applications, reliant on 3PC data, is expected to gradually diminish throughout 2024.

^{Source:  iThome
Full Article}

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Not Just a Social Media Platform: Instagram Becomes a Search Engine for Travelling. From Inspiration to the Booking Phase, New Startup Has Secured a $3 million Seed Investment Opportunity

Berlin-based startup Layla is helping would-be travellers not only discover where they want to go, where to stay, and what to do on their next adventure, but helping them seal the deal then and there by using their AI chatbots on Layla app or Instagram account.

Nowadays, Instagram is not only just a social media platform but more like a search engine. The Senior Vice President of Google Knowledge & Information organisation, Prabhakar Raghavan, noted that almost 40% of young people go to TikTok or Instagram rather than Google Maps when they’re looking for a place for lunch. Furthermore, young people prefer to use visual content, such as street view or 360 view experience, rather than keywords to search for the results. Layla co-founder Jeremy Jauncey seized this business opportunity and used the power of AI to help users discover the perfect places by bridging the gap between social media, planning, and booking.

^{Source: Business today ESG
Full Article}

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Aiming to Take Over Google Search, Perplexity AI Has Raised $73.6 million Including From Jeff Bezos and NVIDIA

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ー Case Studies ー

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Cathay Pacific Airways, Air Macau and Macao Government Tourism Office Campaign

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