Taipei-Vancouver direct flights by Montreal-based Air Canada will resume June 9 after a 14-year hiatus, reflecting healthy growth in tourism exchanges between Taiwan and Canada over the past few years.
The daily 11-hour service between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Vancouver International Airport will be flown by a Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner configured to carry 298 passengers.
Sophia Chen, country manager Taiwan for Air Canada, said Taiwan welcomed more than 100,000 travelers from the North American country last year, up from 90,666 in 2015. Although the main reasons for making the journey were business and family reunions, the airline sees great potential in the Taiwan-Canada tourism market and is ready to meet demand, she added.
Direct flights are key to unlocking the potential of any tourism market, Chen said, adding that as the Taipei-Vancouver service enables passengers to depart and arrive during daylight hours, it is expected to prove immensely popular and help bring the two Asia-Pacific nations closer together.
According to Air Canada, the decision to resume Taipei-Vancouver direct flights was taken as part of its plan to better tap the lucrative Asian market.
Taoyuan City-based EVA Airways Corp. and China Airlines also operate direct flights to Vancouver.
Taiwan and Canada maintain robust ties across a broad spectrum of areas. The latest statistics from the Bureau of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Economic Affairs confirm Taiwan is Canada’s fifth largest trading partner in Asia, with bilateral trade reaching US$3.62 billion in 2016.
A total of 93,405 Republic of China (Taiwan) nationals visited Canada last year, up from 71,079 in 2015—the 11th highest among all nations. Canada is also the fifth most popular destination for students from Taiwan studying abroad. (CPY-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw