Taiwan Revives Midwest Tourism Ties With Chicago Workshop

The workshop drew 53 local industry representatives alongside diplomatic officials from nations including Belize, Lithuania, and Poland. This outreach effort coincides with a surge in travel demand, as 2025 saw over 710,000 U.S. visitors arrive in Taiwan, nearly 60% of whom were leisure travelers. Highlighting this accessibility, the administration pointed to the current schedule of more than 200 weekly round-trip flights connecting 13 major North American cities to the island.

Dennis Yen-Feng Lei, Director-General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago, emphasized the safety and culinary depth of the destination, while Marketing Manager Claire Hsu introduced the "Taiwan Never Sleep" initiative. This concept promotes the island as a secure, round-the-clock hub for travelers. To sustain this momentum, the government is utilizing its "Tourism Dual-Wheel Drive Program" to attract repeat visitors, who now account for 42.25% of the total, matching pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The Chicago session provided a sensory preview of the region, featuring traditional opera performances and Alishan tea tastings to ground the business discussions in local culture.