Taipei City Government

Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-je attended the opening ceremony of Ketagalan Culture Center in Beitou this morning (August 24). During his speech, he expressed that the Ketagalan Culture Center was opened on November 3, 2002, for the purposes of preserving the indigenous language and cultural heritage in metropolitan Taipei, as well as to provide a venue for the studying of traditional crafts. At the same time, the center also acted as a platform for indigenous artists to exhibit, present and share their artworks.

From February to July this year, the city government implemented minor restorations to the Ketagalan Culture Center’s software and hardware, therefore the venue was reopened to the public today, hoping that it will unleash its maximum potential as a tourist attraction.

According to Mayor Ko, the city government has strived to promote city museums throughout Taipei City over the past several years. Beitou is one of the regions which benefitted from significant improvements in the local environment, including the recently opened Beitou No. 22 Park, phase one project of Heart Village, Beitou Park, and Beitou Hot Spring Museum. In the future, the city government will endeavor to complete major projects such as the Former Japanese Military Hospital’s Beitou Branch Hospital and the Taipei Audiovisual and Music Industrial Park in Beitou. Today's Beitou is certainly more fun compared to 4 years ago.

The mayor changed the subject and said that the city government will continue to refine its services by paying attention to the small details and learning from the Japanese culture of professionalism. He shared his experience of visiting Japan in the past to suggest that the Japanese people pay meticulous attention to the minutest of details in an effort to achieve perfection, therefore he believes that dedication is the key to success or failure. He also encouraged the city government staff to always strive for perfection so that Taipei City can become more beautiful.

Mayor Ko indicated that in response to the decreasing number of inbound Chinese free independent travelers, Taipei City Government has discussed this issue at length and proposed recommendations at Executive Yuan meetings to expand the scope of visa-free travel to include ASEAN countries and Middle Eastern countries. Alternatively, the visa on arrival approach can be applied to attract tourists from other markets. The city government has also deliberated on whether subsidies for domestic travelers should be applied to international tourists, but the city government’s suggestions still need to be discussed at the central government level.

Rather than asking others for help, Ko pointed out that the best approach is to help yourself. He emphasized that instead of worrying about the declining number of inbound Chinese tourists; why not make the effort to make Taipei City more fun? Taipei City has already planned nearly 50 events that will each draw over 5,000 people every year, so he has demanded that the organizers and various departments and offices make the events more appealing in hopes of transforming Taipei City into a popular place for citizens and tourists alike. Ko believes that as long as major events are interesting and fun, more visitors will be willing to participate in the events, and the accumulated number of small purchases will be able to increase the city’s profitability.