Package flights from Taiwan to Sabah and Brunei

By Achong Tanjong

Taiwanese tourists visiting Brunei are expected to increase if Taiwan - Sabah - Brunei air routes could come up with package flights, said Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Brunei Darussalam, Mr Yu Shaw-Wu said.

Mr Yu hosted a dinner at his residence attended by media representatives recently.

Apart from improving the air accessibility, such a move would allow more Taiwanese to visit Sabah and Brunei, he said.

The Taiwanese tourists have three choices if they want to come over to Brunei. They would either fly Taiwan - Hong Kong - Brunei or Taiwan - Singapore - Brunei route. If they used the Taiwan -Singapore - Brunei route, they need to stay one night in Singapore, he said.

Another way he suggested is for charter flights at least twice a week that originate from Taiwan to Brunei.

This is very practical he said, and they can guarantee to bring groups of Taiwanese to Brunei to meet the three-days-two-nights package to stay at The Empire Hotel and Country Club.

He said the Taiwanese like to go on family vacations that normally take them seven to nine days. For Brunei, three days are more than enough.

They like to visit Brunei because it is a Muslim country and they want to see and learn the culture, food and lifestyle of the people, and visit Temburong to see the natural beauty of the rainforest. They can also visit the water village, he said.

The Empire Hotel and Country Club has come up with a three-days-two-nights package that includes golf and breakfast.

It is trying very hard to promote Brunei in Taiwan by inviting Taiwan TV crew and journalists to Brunei so that people in Taiwan will know about Brunei.

He said from March 2006 to March 2007, more than 3,000 Taiwanese have visited Brunei. Brunei tourists to Taiwan recorded 1,000 to 1,200 per year and the peak season is during the school holidays.

The numbers include Bruneians and permanent residents and do not include those without visa who visited Taiwan.

The last direct flight between Brunei and Taiwan stopped its operation in December 2004.

Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin