For Taiwan Tourism Bureau, a new decade means time for change.

Signboards all over the world are posting Taiwan’s new slogan, “Taiwan: The Heart of Asia.”

“I want to welcome tourists to visit the heart of Asia and enjoy how comfortable and friendly Taiwan and Taiwanese people are,” said Taiwan’s Tourism Bureau Director in Seoul Sarah Chen to The Korea Herald.

The new brand will help the bureau further develop the Korean and international markets as the island continues to strive to become one of the world’s top travel destinations.

It is hoped the change will mark a broader vision in charting new development plans for promoting tourism in Taiwan.

Tourism will become a vehicle for driving the development of a variety of new industries such as health care, agriculture, and green industries, giving them a channel for transforming their resources into tourism products.

Last year, visitors from Korea to Taiwan increased by 26 percent, amounting to more than 200,000 locals opting for a trip to one of Korea’s closest neighbors.

Taipei Mission Information Officer Liu Ming-liang noted that the numbers are back on track after the decline in visitors in 2009 due to the H1N1 virus and economic meltdown.

During the past 10 years since 2001, Taiwan has been promoting tourism under the slogan “Taiwan, Touch Your Heart.”

Chen said that this effort was successful in projecting the Taiwanese people’s friendliness and warmth to the world, and has raised Taiwan tourism to a new level.

“The new slogan represents Taiwan’s determination and dedication to becoming a popular travel destination,” she said.

At a seminar last week for tourism professionals and journalists, Taiwan Tourism Bureau explained that the new “Taiwan ― The Heart of Asia” logo symbolizes the fusion between the old ways and new trends in Taiwan.

“Its special characteristics and diversity, presents what is precisely a microcosm of Asia,” said Chen.

Along with the new logo, the bureau will also establish comprehensive travel information service networks that will ideally create a friendly tourism environment for international visitors.

It also aims to improve and upgrade the quality of hotels in Taiwan to cater to international tourists and provide government assistance to the training and development of industry-related personnel.

Asia’s heart and Taiwan’s warmth are what the bureau wants to offer visitors from around the world. In the future, all of the bureau’s promotional material will carry the new logo.

By Yoav Cerralbo (yoav@heraldcorp.com)