Ladies and Gentlemen: I am a representative of Taiwan. My name is James Chen. It’s my honor to be here together with all of you for the forum on “the development of marine tourism in Taiwan through the yacht industry.” the development of marine tourism in Taiwan through the yacht industry Taiwan represent Mr. Chen po-jui (James)

Hi ! We are here~ Taiwan represent Mr. Chen po-jui (James)

 Taiwan‘s total land area is 36,193 square kilometers. It has a population of 23.5million, ranking it 137 th among the world’s 193 political entities. The coastline of Taiwan is about 1200 km long, and there are 224 fishing ports around the island. That makes one fishing port 5.36 km for each, so you will see a port every 5 minutes when you drive along our coastal highway. That’s why we are deeply affected by the sea during our daily life.

In the early times, in order to have a better life, we had to develop very sophisticated fishing techniques and cooperate with other countries to create a robust fishing economy, but in recent years we find that our fisheries are being depleted. Fishermen can hardly catch enough fish, and many original fishing ports are also being idled.

Many people know that Taiwan is famous for making yachts. Our yacht industry began developing in the 1950s, and reached its peak in the 1980s.Taiwan became known as the “Kingdom of Yachts,” exporting more than fifteen hundred yachts a year in the early times.

 But when the U.S. imposed a luxury tax on yacht imports, and the exchange rate of the NT dollar strengthened from 40 to on U.S. dollar to just 25, the yacht industry plummeted to the bottom. More than 70% of the yacht factories closed, and the remaining 20 factories had to adjust their business strategy. They began to produce large custom- made yachts, and finally the yacht industry stabilized in Taiwan maintained of a place of 5 to 7 in the world yacht manufacturing ranks.

but the financial crisis of 2008 once again crisis in the yacht industry. Taiwan's yacht business shrank 75 % because of the American and European debt crisis. Our yacht industry found that the best way to maintain sale was to create its own brands and expand the domestic market.

The government realizes that it is important to develop yachting activities by making full use of our existing resources, so the priority is to transform open-water fishery to aquaculture, and revise the related laws so as to improve the environment for marine leisure activities. We are aware of the importance of sustainable marine recreation which includes protection of the marine environment. It also includes the protection of marine creatures. The government is trying to redevelop many of the idled fishing ports into yacht harbors by means of legislation.

I wish I could invite more people to engage in leisure yachting activities and let them learn about the right attitude in dealing with the ocean. My current job is to run a yacht club. I often sail with my students or friends. We sometimes go to nearby islands or neighboring countries to visit friends, and sometimes do recreational fishing, or scuba diving, and we invite more people come with us a share in these interesting and healthy marine recreation activities.

I welcome all of you ladies and gentlemen, whenever you come to Taiwan, please remember to contact me, and give me an opportunity to personally guide you for an experience of the marine leisure culture in Taiwan.