Tai Pan Tours explores Korea & Taiwan

Agents got their chance to try on traditional Korean hanbok dress while sipping tea from Taiwan, as Tai Pan Tours brought together the two destinations for an Asian travel showcase in Toronto this week.

The evening featured a crash course for agents in both destinations, which are quickly becoming two of Tai Pan’s top sellers; the information also paid off immediately for a group of lucky agents who won a selection of prizes after demonstrating their knowledge in a round of Jeopardy, which was centred around facts shared about the destinations and Tai Pan Tours during the evening’s presentations.

According to Lisa Lau, Tai Pan’s global development manager, the hands-on aspect of the event showcased similar demonstrations and activities offered in the company’s numerous Asian itineraries, helping travellers forge a closer connection with the destinations. While Tai Pan’s coaches are often seen traversing North American highways en route to events or attractions like casinos, the company also offers a range of Asian itineraries under the Explorer designation, currently featuring travel to 13 countries with plans to expand to 15 in 2016.

“We want to bring agents together and showcase Taiwan and Korea as destinations for Asian travel,” she explained. “We want to let agents know we sell these destinations; we’re known for our coach tours and other people think that we specialize in China, but we service 13 countries at the moment.”

Among the itineraries on offer, Tai Pan features a combined Korea and Taiwan package due to the relative close proximity of the two destinations; numerous itineraries in both individual destinations are also offered, ranging from two to 11 days in Korea and three to eight days in Taiwan, all exploring the various tourism draws ranging from the cultural and historic to contemporary interests such as cuisine and shopping.

Selling Korea and Taiwan with Tai Pain

• Tai Pan currently offers agents a 10 per cent commission on all products in the Explorer category, Lau said.
• With several other international airports only a few hours away, both Korea and Taiwan are attractive stopover destinations for travellers looking to maximize their time while exploring Asia.
• Visitors to both Taiwan and Korea can take advantage of free transit tours offered by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and Incheon International Airport (click the links for details).
• Tai Pan offers a range of hotel products, from standard to premium rooms and all points in between; travellers looking for something different can also opt for unique accommodations like a Hello Kitty Suite at Taiwan’s Grand Hi-Lai Hotel.
• A new Special Offers section on Tai Pan’s website features seasonal programs carrying a discounted price.
• Connectivity from eastern Canada to Korea will also increase due to a new non-stop Toronto-Seoul flight from Air Canada.

PHOTO: Lisa Lau, global development manager, Tai Pan Tours; Ann Lee, vice-president, Tai Pan Tours; Randy Snape, marketing & communications manager, Korea Tourism Organization; Sasha Chou, marketing manager, Taiwan Tourism Bureau - New York.