CHINA TOPIX

11/22/2024 10:09:21 am

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Taiwan's Tallest Building Looks to Diversify Visitors to Avoid Dependence on One Market

Taipei 101

(Photo : Photo by Ashley Pon/Getty Images for Autism Speaks) The owners of Taipei 101 are looking to diversify visitors of the tallest building in Taiwan over concerns that the number of Chinese tourists to the island nation may be dropping.

Taipei 101, formerly Taipei World Financial Center, aims to diversify its visitors over concerns of being too much reliant on Chinese tourists. 

Taipei 101 is the tallest building in Taiwan. It was named the tallest building in the world in 2004 until Dubai's Burj Khalifa dethroned it in 2009. Taipei 101 currently houses an observatory, a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and offices of private companies.  

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Taipei 101 is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation.

Official data showed that 2.96 million people visited the observatory on the building's 89th floor in 2015. This represents a 30 percent year-on-year rise - an increase of more than 700,000 visitors. 

But, according to Taipei 101 spokesman Michael Liu, Chinese visitors from the mainland decreased. 

"The number of visitors from China, which accounts for about 60 percent of the total, dropped by about 10 percent in the run-up to the January 16 presidential and legislative elections," Liu said at a press conference on Thursday. 

The company fears that the market of mainland tourists is unstable, leaving Taiwan vulnerable if they only depend on that one market. 

Taipei 101 already has its eyes on the Middle East and Southeast Asian markets. Efforts to attract visitors from South Korea, Europe, and the Americas are also underway. 

The building's owners are also considering a Muslim prayer room so visitors from Indonesia and the Middle East can relax and experience a friendly environment in the building. 

They also encouraged restaurants in the building to acquire a Halal certificate, a document that ensures that the products in an establishment are safe and follow the Islamic law. 

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