From November 19 to 23, the COA, in cooperation with the Asian Productivity Organization (APO), is holding the “2018 APO Multicountry Observational Study Mission on Best Practices in Agrotourism.” A total of over 20 representatives of government, industry, and academia from Asian and New Southbound Policy partner countries including Cambodia, India, Iran, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Taiwan are in attendance. Besides exchanges of views and discussions, the representatives of these nations will also get on-the-spot experience of the  “kumquats” and “tea sipping” activities held in Yilan County as well as see first-hand the management model for the operation of the “sixth Industrialization)” dairy industry in Miaoli County. They will also visit the “Agrotourism Pavilion” of the “2018 Taipei International Travel Fair,” to gain an understanding of the development of Taiwan’s rural tourism industry.

　　The APO is an important international organization. It was founded in 1961, with the ROC as one of the founding members. For a long time now, the COA has held APO-related activities in Taiwan, exchanging agricultural technology and new knowledge with other member countries. The main objectives of this “Multicountry Observational Study Mission on Best Practices in Agrotourism” are to upgrade APO member countries’ ideas about, and understanding of new trends in, agrotourism; to search for potential tourism business opportunities as part of rural development; to increase the participants’ knowledge of tourist attractions in Taiwan; and to share each country’s promotional strategies for developing commercial opportunities in agrotourism.

　　The COA states that this observational study mission can facilitate mutual learning among Asian and New Southbound Policy partner countries regarding the development and promotion of agrotourism. Through on-the-spot visits, national representatives can personally experience the situation with regard to the development of agrotourism in Yilan and Miaoli. Moreover, it is hoped that visiting the “Agrotourism Pavilion” at the “2018 Taipei International Travel Fair” will be helpful to the development by these countries of their agrotourism industries. At the same time, the COA is taking this opportunity to promote Taiwan’s agrotourism industry in foreign markets and attract international tourists to Taiwan, thereby increasing farmers’ incomes and the value added of the “sixth level” agrotourism industry.