The Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE) held the awards ceremony for the 2nd Taiwan Sustainable Tourism Awards on the 24th. Lion Travel Service captured four major honors, including the ESG Comprehensive Performance Model Award, making it the biggest winner of the year. TAISE Chairman Ambassador Chien praised the achievements of all award recipients. Lion Travel General Manager Huang thanked all partners for their support and invited every stakeholder—including consumers—to take part in creating new models of travel, advancing Taiwan as a leading example of sustainable tourism in Asia, and turning travel into a force for the sustainable development of the planet.

To recognize tourism-related businesses for their efforts in management, travel experience design, and sustainable development, 24 organizations received awards this year across categories including Sustainable Tourism ESG Comprehensive Performance, Outstanding Sustainable Tourism Leader, Partnership, Travel Agency, Accommodation, Tourism Education and Promotion, Destination, Tourism Innovation, and Tourism Factory. Alongside the awards ceremony, the organizer also held a sustainable tourism forum, inviting scholars, experts, and award recipients to exchange insights and help guide the industry toward a more sustainable future.

Ambassador Chien observed that the recent FIFA World Cup has generated worldwide excitement, yet the tourism associated with major sporting events also creates substantial carbon emissions and adds to the burden on the planet. At the same time, from Japan to Europe, many countries have seen growing opposition to overtourism because of its impact on social and ecological balance. These developments underscore the urgency of sustainable tourism. He expressed the hope that all of this year’s benchmark award recipients will demonstrate leadership, inspire the tourism industry to place greater emphasis on sustainability, and help more international visitors experience Taiwan’s natural beauty and human warmth.

Rethinking Value to Strengthen Sustainable Competitiveness

To build new competitiveness for the tourism industry in the ESG era, Professor Liu of the Graduate Institute of Tourism at National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism called on tourism businesses to move beyond the traditional mindset of operating as profit centers and instead adopt a sustainability value-oriented model to drive comprehensive transformation. Using the accommodation sector as an example, he noted that hotels should no longer see themselves as merely selling rooms, but as offering sustainable lifestyles, cultural experiences, and meaningful connections with local communities—thereby creating greater value.

Professor Liu explained that, in tourism, “value creation” refers to the process of integrating resources, applying innovative design, and collaborating with stakeholders so that products, services, and experiences generate benefits for customers, businesses, and society that exceed the cost of investment. The focus is not on low prices, but on delivering high perceived value at a reasonable price. This transformation must take place on the industry side, while transparent disclosure and education are also needed to encourage consumers to participate in co-creation and evolve from passive service recipients into responsible travelers.

“Experiential Value × Sustainability Value × Trust Value = Competitiveness. This is the formula for tourism competitiveness over the next decade,” Professor Liu said. He encouraged tourism businesses to recognize that the essence of ESG is not to make companies do more, but to enable them to create value in better ways. “Tourism competition in the 21st century is no longer about who can attract the most travelers, but about who can create the greatest sustainable value.”

Advancing Dual Transformation as Ports Generate New Economic Value

Echoing Professor Liu’s views, Taiwan International Ports Corporation Chairman Chou, the inaugural Director-General of the Tourism Administration, used port transformation and cruise tourism as examples. He emphasized that, under the dual drivers of artificial intelligence and sustainability, ports are gradually evolving from transportation hubs responsible primarily for vessel berthing and cargo handling into strategic economic gateways for the nation.

From an operational perspective, digital transformation can improve port efficiency, while the introduction of additional carbon-reduction and green-energy technologies can turn ports into smart gateways and enable them to serve as core platforms for sustainable supply chains.

In terms of tourism benefits, the continued upgrading of port facilities and passenger terminals helped increase both cruise passenger arrivals and cruise ship calls to Taiwan in 2025. Combined with other tourism festivals and events, these developments have also contributed to economic growth in port cities. Taiwan International Ports Corporation will continue to strengthen its international marketing efforts, with the goal of enhancing the global visibility of Taiwan’s ports and promoting shared prosperity between ports and cities.

Integrating Nature and Art to Revitalize Culture

Howard Resort Xitou, which received the Gold Award for Sustainable Accommodation this year, has embraced “harmonious coexistence with the forest” as its central philosophy since its team began operating in Nantou’s Lugu mountain area in 2021. Howard Resort Xitou Chairperson Liao explained that the resort has worked to become a cross-sector platform for sustainable tourism. It has partnered with the Agency of Rural Development and Soil and Water Conservation, the National Science and Technology Museum, the National Taiwan University Experimental Forest, the TSMC Charity Foundation, and other organizations to develop sustainable travel experiences and help make tourism a force for change.

After several years of effort, more than 37,000 people have participated in programs including forest ecology tours, five-senses forest therapy, and nighttime observation. The resort’s Young Explorer citizen-science education initiative, developed in collaboration with the TSMC Charity Foundation, has also accumulated more than 1,500 observation records. Looking ahead, the team plans to further strengthen international collaboration in sustainability, guided by the belief that the goal is “not to bring more people into the forest, but to inspire more people to live in harmony with it.”

After taking over the family business, SHUTER Enterprise Chairman Wu chose to integrate manufacturing with tourism and build a full-value-chain ESG demonstration hub. He received the Outstanding Sustainable Tourism Leader Award for developing the world’s largest indoor tourism factory, Bando Dream Factory. The facility introduces smart manufacturing and promotes local and Austronesian cultures, while also earning recognition through the Sustainable Tourism Education and Promotion Award.

Reflecting on the company’s development, Wu noted that SHUTER began purchasing land for afforestation and investing in research and production involving recycled materials at a time when few people were discussing corporate social responsibility. Seeking both to build a home for the company and to restore confidence in Taiwan’s cultural identity, SHUTER gradually developed the green tourism factory that exists today. Beyond the physical facilities, Wu has remained committed to the power of culture and has even personally produced documentary films to trace cultural roots. He acknowledged that the journey has been difficult, but stressed that recognizing cultural value is essential to both revenue growth and sustainable operations.

Yunlin County has likewise built tourism around local culture and industrial development. Participation in the county’s cultural and tourism activities exceeded 32 million visits last year. Yunlin County Deputy Magistrate Chen, who has worked tirelessly to promote sustainable tourism, received this year’s Outstanding Sustainable Tourism Leader Award. She explained that although Yunlin does not have large department stores or major conventional tourist attractions, the county has continued to uncover and promote its distinctive local assets. These efforts have successfully attracted visitors and earned repeated international recognition, demonstrating that “the more local, the more international.”

Yunlin is an important birthplace of Taiwanese glove puppetry and has the largest number of officially registered puppet theater troupes in Taiwan. However, the art form faces challenges related to cultural transmission and audience decline. In recent years, the Department of Cultural Affairs and Tourism of the Yunlin County Government has actively supported performance groups while collaborating with schools at all levels, correctional institutions, and local communities to establish arts education programs. Since 1999, the county has continuously organized the Yunlin International Puppet Theater Festival, integrating educational, cultural, and tourism resources and attracting more than 250,000 visitors each year. These efforts were recognized with this year’s Sustainable Tourism Education and Promotion Award.

Performing Arts Section Chief Shen of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Yunlin County Government, said she was pleased that the county government’s role as a platform—together with programs in schools and community venues—has inspired many young people to develop enthusiasm for traditional arts and performance. These efforts have also helped cultivate a new generation of female puppetry artists. Responding to the characteristics of different areas across the county, the program has expanded into Hakka-language and Southeast Asian new-immigrant-themed puppetry, continuously injecting new momentum into local industries and helping build a cultural ecosystem.

The 2nd Taiwan Sustainable Tourism Awards Ceremony and Sustainable Tourism Forum in 2026 attracted strong participation from across the tourism industry and from people concerned with tourism development. Nearly 600 participants joined in person and online, creating lively interaction and exchange throughout the event.