International tourism has been the slowest part of Wyoming’s tourism industry to bounce back after the COVID-19 pandemic, but it could be about to finally break free in 2024.
Daniel Chen, director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Seattle, told Cowboy State Daily during a recent visit to Wyoming that at least two airlines, and maybe even three, will reopen their direct Taiwan-to-Seattle routes sometime this summer.
Before the pandemic, about 500,000 people from Taiwan traveled to the United States every year, but with so many direct routes closed, international tourism is a slice of that industry that has continued to lag for Wyoming and the United States as a whole.
Chen believes there is pent-up demand for travel to the United States, which is a top destination for Taiwanese tourists. Once those closed routes open, he expects to see many Taiwanese tourists passing through his office in Seattle, which is a common first stop for visitors from Taiwan.
Among his top recommendations for them will be a trip to see Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.
“I think Yellowstone should be a major attraction,” Chen said, adding that once people are in Wyoming they can learn more about other destinations too. “Someone told me that Jurassic Park was filmed in Wyoming, so I’m interested in talking to the tourism bureau to see if any kind of film was shot (in Wyoming).”
Chen suggested that a tour based around movies that were either filmed or set in Wyoming would be particularly attractive to Taiwanese tourists who have grown up on American Westerns and other movies, and who have developed strong ties to the United States.
“You have (Cheyenne) Frontier Days, the biggest (rodeo) in the world,” Chen said. “I really feel the urge to introduce that (to Taiwan tourists) because I was there years ago, and you know it was kind of interesting.”
Chen remembers watching with delight as pancakes were thrown up the in the air, as well as all the interesting chuckwagons and all the excitement of a real live Western rodeo.
“When I was a child, I enjoyed watching the West, the ‘Wild Wild West,’” he said. “I think that image of Wyoming does remind people of that kind of movie, and shows people the real America.”
Cowboys Have Never Been More Popular
Romanticism for the West is something Piper Singer with the Wyoming Office of Tourism said has become a hot topic of conversation between the Cowboy State and potential international connections.
“We are certainly seeing a newfound romanticism with the West,” Singer told Cowboy State Daly in an email. “Which is apparent in the conversations we consistently have with international visitors.”
Piper said Taiwan is America’s 18th largest inbound market with about 500,000 tourists normally coming in from there. But in 2021 and 2022, Taiwanese arrivals were 50,470 and 137,085 respectively.
Prepandemic, Taiwanese travelers spent $3 billion in the U.S. That dropped to $1 billion in 2021, following the pandemic.
Past data shows that Taiwanese tourists typically spend about a month in the United States, visiting 1.2 states during that time, and that about 80% of Taiwanese tourists plan trips around personalized packages and special interest tours — like the movie-themed tour Chen expressed interest in seeing in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s biggest international markets now aren’t from Taiwan, however.
Canada and Mexico are the top two, followed by markets in Europe, including the UK, Germany, France, Nordic countries, Benelux and Italy. Australia and New Zealand round out the top 10 list, along with Japan.
Wyoming is angling to recapture as much of its international tourism as possible in 2024, and has a variety of efforts planned around that goal.
Among them is hosting the International Roundup in Casper this year, which will bring Australian and European markets to the United States to shop for unique Western experiences.
Taiwan Loves America
While Taiwanese tourists are the 18th largest group of visitors to the United States, the U.S. is Taiwan’s No. 1 destination.
That’s because Taiwanese people feel a great deal of loyalty for America, Chen told Cowboy State Daily, to the point that they’ll even pay a little more for high-quality American beef versus the next nearest competitor, Australian beef, which is slightly cheaper.
“We love to showcase the bond between Taiwan and Wyoming,” Chen said. “I mean, people just don’t know about that. But once they find (out about) it, they will find that our bond is way beyond (their) imagination.”
That is part of the reason Chen travels to Wyoming every legislative session to get a rather routine resolution that officially recognizes the relationship between the Cowboy State and Taiwan.
That may not seem like a big deal to some in America, Chen acknowledged.
“But think about if you live in a country where you have to face the missile against you,” he said. “You will face all kinds of economic and people coercion, diplomatic isolation. So people there, they feel helpless. They feel (this is) something that can help in this time.
“The resolution can give people over there the confidence to deal with the challenges posed by our neighbors. You know, our dry neighbors.”
That tension is ever-present in Taiwan, something its people just learn to live with growing up. They also quietly learn that they are a small beacon of democracy surrounded by a sea of threatening powers that are less than democratic, and not entirely happy with the status quo.
Opportunities To Grow Trade
Taiwan has invested heavily in its ties with states like Wyoming for the past 40 years.
In 2018, Wyoming opened an office in Taipei dedicated to building ties with Taiwan and strengthening trade relationships.
Chen said he sees lots of room to increase trade from Wyoming to Taiwan, particularly for Wyoming grain, beef and Wyoming Whiskey as well, the latter of which Chen described as like honey.
“We love them, but the only problem is you don’t produce enough of them,” Chen said.
He also believes Wyoming is an excellent state for business ventures, and hopes that Taiwan could get involved in helping Wyoming entrepreneurs start small businesses.
“Wyoming is the most business-friendly climate here in all the states,” he said. “Your taxation is much better off than other states. But you have to do a little more promotion. People in Taiwan, they know most about California and New York. People don’t have enough knowledge about how great your state is.”
Renée Jean can be reached at renee@cowboystatedaily.com.
