Taiwan Railways to Launch 'TRA Holiday' Tourism Packages by Year-End

Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) today held a briefing for travel agencies on its 'TRA Holiday' initiative. General Manager Feng Hui-sheng told the media that TRA has always wanted to promote 'TRA Holiday.' In the past, railway tourism was promoted through tourist trains. TRA's advantage lies in its 242 stations along the island-wide railway network. By combining station travel services with local attractions, it will have a certain niche. TRA Chairman Cheng Kuang-yuan previously served as Chairman of Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR). THSR has offered 'THSR Holiday' products for many years, providing 'THSR + hotel/tickets/car rental' package tours. Feng Hui-sheng noted that the chairman's rich experience with 'THSR Holiday' provided many suggestions. Feng Hui-sheng revealed that the operating model for 'TRA Holiday' is largely determined. TRA will provide a certain number of train seats to cooperate with travel agencies. 'Travel agencies often have concerns about seats when packaging itineraries, so we will provide a certain number of seats, allowing travel agencies to package them and offering them relatively preferential prices.' Feng Hui-sheng stated that if travel agencies achieve a certain sales target for seats, TRA will provide further discounts, hoping to form a viable business model. Through the briefing, TRA will fully communicate with travel agencies, hoping for more operators to participate in the promotion of 'TRA Holiday.' Regarding the extent of ticket price discounts that can be offered to travel agencies, Feng Hui-sheng said it is still under internal discussion and will depend on the seat utilization rate of each train, but will primarily focus on reserved-seat trains. As for when the public can purchase 'TRA Holiday' products, Feng Hui-sheng pointed out that the goal is to launch them by the end of this year and sell them through various travel agency channels, allowing the public to experience a different form of railway travel compared to previous tourist trains, thereby increasing train seat utilization. (Edited by Chen Ching-fang) 1150410