A recently unveiled six-year development plan for Taipei City-based National Palace Museum will cement the facility’s status as a world-class visitor attraction and spur the development of Taiwan’s tourism industry, according to NPM.
Approved by the Cabinet in early December, the NT$10.1 billion (US$342.2 million) initiative includes measures to expand and renovate NPM headquarters, establish an exhibition and restoration facility for national treasures at the museum’s Southern Branch in Chiayi County, and create a national museum network to coordinate international promotional campaigns.
Premier Lai Ching-te said during a Cabinet meeting Jan. 11 that the plan will help ensure better preservation of national treasures and important historical artifacts, enhance visitor experiences, strengthen public art education and promote balanced regional development.
According to NPM Director Lin Cheng-yi, major efforts under the initiative will seek to improve the museum’s landscape, infuse exhibitions with innovation, provide better activity coordination, offer convenient transportation access and boost international promotion. The development plan underscores President Tsai Ing-wen’s commitment to supporting the country’s tourism industry and NPM’s Southern Branch, he added.
By its completion in 2024, the project is expected to raise visitor numbers to 8 million, create ticket receipts and product sales totaling NT$380 million and NT$560 million, respectively, and generate tourism-related revenues topping NT$134.7 billion per year.
NPM said the economic benefits over the 20 years following the project’s conclusion will be substantial, with related increases in visitor numbers projected at 51.4 million for the period. In addition, ticket receipts and product revenues are estimated to soar by NT$7.6 billion and NT$11.2 billion, respectively, while additional tourism-related spending by local and foreign visitors is forecast at NT$822 billion. (SFC-E)
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