Dear Believers of the Future,

In 2020, we had an opportunity to focus on domestic travel, but it also posed potential challenges. I'm concerned that if we don't seize this opportunity, the industry may once again head in the wrong direction. A brief visit can be considered "tourism," but I've conveyed to the residents of Huatung (Hualien-Taitung) that our goal should be to "share the life and culture of Huatung." If the local community and government don't nurture a sense of taste and culture, Huatung could end up simply being a "tourism supplier," with more facilities and events that cater to short-term visitors, leading to issues like excessive waste and property speculation.

Huatung doesn't lack property; instead, it requires better resource integration. With 1/10 of Taiwan's land area and only one percent of its total population, Huatung boasts significant potential.

Traveling in Taiwan needs improvement. Taiwanese often travel on long weekends, causing tourist destinations to become overcrowded and resulting in lower overall quality experiences. Instead of feeling refreshed, people often end their holidays more exhausted. I believe that Taiwan has a long way to reach "travel civilization." While the country is gradually changing, it will take time to fully embrace "deep travel" or "slow travel."

The prerequisite for developing deep travel is that young people must be willing to return to their hometowns. In late 2017, the Alliance Cultural Foundation (ACF) identified that there were many young entrepreneurs returning to Taitung Chengbin and Hualien Fengbin (referred to as Binbin) Townships. Unfortunately, at that time, there was a lack of an integrated marketing resource network, and these owners were inadvertently competing against each other. Consequently, the ACF re-engaged in tourism promotion, positioning itself as a counselor and resource integrator. By shifting from a competitive mindset of "me vs. you" to one of collaboration for mutual benefits, they were able to achieve their dreams. This cooperative effort has enriched the local tourism landscape.

At the age of 73, I have come to realize that as the world progresses, "Identifying issues is not difficult, finding solutions is feasible, but the challenging part is taking action to bring the vision to life." In the process of implementation, confronting challenges, learning from failures, making corrections, all become part of a viable plan, and serve as the engine that can change the world.

Chairman

Stanley Yen