(From left) Tan, Chou, Paw and Hsu launching the ‘Oh Bear Go’ advertising campaign.
AS the Covid-19 pandemic becomes more manageable, more countries in Asia, including Taiwan, are beginning to welcome tourists.
To capitalise on the expected boom in visitors when its borders reopen on Oct 13, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau Kuala Lumpur Office has launched its “Oh Bear Go!” Cycling and Rail themed Travel Taiwan advertising vehicles.
Two hundred cars wrapped in scenic views of Taiwan will be roaming the streets of the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Baru to inspire people to visit the island state.
The cars will feature Nantou’s Sun Moon Lake bike, Chiayi’s Alishan cherry blossom train, Taipei’s Yangmingshan hydrangea sea of flowers as well as the “Oh Bear Go!” mascot riding a bicycle.
Speaking at the launch event at Kloe Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Taiwan Tourism Bureau Kuala Lumpur Office director Chou Shih Pi said, “Taiwan has adopted cycling and rail as its tourism promotion theme in the past two years, so naturally, bicycles and trains are matched with the beautiful scenery of Taiwan in the advertising campaign.
“Furthermore, prior to the pandemic, Taiwan used ‘Salam Taiwan’ as the theme to actively promote Muslim-friendly tourism.
“So this advertising vehicle also includes Muslim-friendly tourism elements, hoping to further attract Malaysian Muslims to Taiwan.”
He added that Taiwan has continued to improve the Muslim-friendly reception environment in order to attract Muslim visitors from all over the world to experience the beauty of the country.
“Major transportation hubs and national scenic spots are equipped with Muslim-friendly service facilities. At the same time, over 200 restaurants and hotels have received relevant halal certification,” he said.
Also present at the launch were Malaysian Association of Tour & Travel Agents (MATTA) outbound vice-president Cynthia Tan, Malaysia Chinese Tourism Association national president Paul Paw and Starlux Airlines general manager Hsu Chien-wen.
According to Mastercard-Crescent Rating’s Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI) 2022, Taiwan maintained its second-place position among the world’s non-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) destinations for providing a Muslim-friendly travel environment.
The “Oh Bear Go!” campaign will see 120 cars shuttling in the Klang Valley, 40 in Penang Island, and 40 in Johor Baru.
This is also the first time that hundreds of tourism-themed advertising vehicles have appeared on Malaysian streets at the same time.
As a result, Taiwan Tourism Bureau was awarded the Most Tourism Brand Advertising Vehicles by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR).
The certificate was presented to Chou by MBR marketing and events deputy general manager Aaron Bong at the event.
In conjunction with campaign launch, Taiwan Tourism Bureau Kuala Lumpur Office is running the #taiwanmynextdestination Scan and Win contest from now until Nov 26.
To participate, simply post a photo of any of the advertising campaign cars on the bureau’s Malaysia Facebook page (@tbrockl), and hastag #taiwanmynextdestination.
Participants stand a chance to win lucrative prizes, including a round-trip flight from Kuala Lumpur to Taipei sponsored by Starlux Airlines, a premium tablet and a Taiwan special edition Touch ’n Go Card inclusive of RM200 credit.
During the event, Suria FM radio host DJ Lin, news anchor Tan Chia Yong and TV host Xiao Yu took to the stage and shared their fun travel experiences.
For details, visit Taiwan Tourism Bureau Malaysia social media pages.
