MEET TAIWAN transforms incentive travel in Taiwan

Forbes recently spotted an emerging trend on LinkedIn about business people willing to volunteer their skills to make a positive impact. Instead of making cash donations, the professionals turned to sustainable tourism, which advocates low environmental impact travel, and adopted a more progressive concept called corporate social responsibility (CSR) incentive travel.

CSR itineraries often feature more chances to actively engage local communities for projects such as renovating public infrastructure, for example rebuilding sport centers or schools, or helping local farmers plant and harvest agricultural products that generate economic benefits. Corporate social responsibility incentive travel allows travelers to involve themselves with the destination in a responsible way, to understand the needs of countries visited with respect and support, and to generate a unique experience that combines understanding new cultures and helping people in need.

Incentive travel that incorporates social responsibility initiatives transforms the experience from individual reward to a sense of self-fulfillment while maximizing public interest. One case involves Shanghai Jahwa, a top 100 enterprise in Shanghai, which provided NT$1 million to Taitung Mudan Elementary School to renovate school buildings and construct music classrooms. Zhen Huang, Vice President of Shanghai Jahwa, expressed appreciation for the beauty of Taiwanese aboriginal performing arts by saying, “We were touched by the persistence of such talented students and wished to contribute with our own efforts to preserve aboriginal traditional arts”.

MEET TAIWAN, the Bureau of Foreign Trade’s MICE promotion program, is currently stressing corporate social responsibility as part of its “2015 Asia Super Team: Team up for Good” campaign. So far, 91 international companies have already signed up. MEET TAIWAN continuously amplifies the social impact that incentive travel makes in Asian countries which leads regional growth.

For more information, please visit www.meettaiwan.com