[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 110 (Friday, June 7, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34344-34346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-13489]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Travel and Tourism Trade Mission to Taiwan, Japan and Korea

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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Mission Description

    The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service, is organizing a 
Trade Mission to Taiwan, Japan, and Korea March 10 -14, 2014. The 
purpose of the mission is to help U.S. firms in the travel and tourism 
industry find business partners and sell services in Taipei, Taiwan; 
Seoul, Korea; and Tokyo, Japan. The targeted sector for participation 
in this mission is travel and tourism, including U.S.-based travel and 
tourism suppliers, destination marketing organizations (i.e., 
convention and visitors bureaus), travel promotion organizations and 
other travel and tourism entities promoting and selling travel to the 
United States including trade associations.

Commercial Setting

Taiwan

    Each year, roughly 41% of Taiwan's 23 million people travel abroad 
and an estimated 300,000 traveled to the United States in 2012. The 
forecast is that nearly 400,000 visitors from Taiwan (a 25% increase) 
will travel to the United States annually by 2015 as a result of 
Taiwan's entry into the U.S. Visa Waiver Program on November 1, 2012. 
Taiwan is the only economy to receive visa-free status in the last 
three years, and it is an exciting time to promote U.S. travel 
destinations given the pent-up demand for travel to the United States 
from Taiwan.
    On average, a Taiwan visitor to the United States spends about 
$4,000 per trip. This number translates to over $1.1 billion yearly in 
travel and tourism spending by Taiwan outbound travelers to the United 
States. Taiwanese enjoy shopping, dining out, sightseeing in cities, 
experiencing amusement and theme parks, and visiting historic places.
    For Taiwan nationals, outbound travel is both a vital part of doing 
business in this trade-oriented economy and a trendy form of leisure 
holidays. Taiwan's GDP per capita is one of the highest in Asia at 
approximately $20,400, which means that an increasing share of the 
population has the means to seek and enjoy leisure travel abroad. In 
the capital city, Taipei, it rains about 180 days each year, and Taiwan 
travelers are always searching for sunny and dry destinations for their 
holiday adventures. Taiwan is also the sixth-largest source of 
international students for the United States, many of whom have friends 
and family visiting them regularly and enjoying U.S. destinations and 
attractions.
    The United States is among the top five destinations for Taiwan 
outbound travelers, and is the top non-Asian and long-haul destination. 
Despite its popularity with Taiwan outbound travelers, the United 
States faces strong competition from other destinations that also don't 
require a visa, such as Australia, China, Japan, Thailand and European 
Union countries.

Korea

    In 2012, over 13.7 million Koreans, roughly one fourth of the 
population, traveled abroad and over one million traveled to the United 
States. It is estimated that by 2014 nearly 1.5 million Koreans (a 23% 
increase) will travel to the United States annually. On average, a 
Korean visitor to the United States spends approximately $3,500 per 
trip. This will translate to over $5 billion in tourism spending by 
Korean outbound travelers to the United States in 2014.
    Korea's remarkable economic growth over the past 30 years has 
transformed the country, moving it from the ranks of developing nations 
to exclusive membership among the world's most developed and richest 
economies. In 2012 Korea enjoyed a 2.1% increase in GDP, which now 
totals $1.14 trillion. Korea's per capita GDP in 1963 was just $100. 
Today, it exceeds $32,400. Increased income has given Koreans the means 
to seek and enjoy leisure travel abroad. Industry experts expect that 
the number of outbound travelers will continue to increase for the next 
five years and that demand for sophisticated and niche market travel, 
such as for meetings, conventions and exhibitions; cruises and edu-
tourism will grow significantly.
    The United States remains one of the top five destinations for both 
Taiwan and Korean outbound travelers, and is the top non-Asian and 
long-haul destination for both countries. Despite its popularity with 
Taiwan and Korean outbound travelers, the United States faces strong 
competition from aggressive marketing from other destinations that also 
don't require a visa, such as Australia, China, Japan, Thailand and the 
European Union.

Japan

    Japan remains the world's third-largest economy, after the United 
States and China, with a GDP of roughly $5.8 trillion. Japan is the 
fourth largest export market for U.S. goods and services, and was our 
fourth largest trading partner overall in 2012.
    Japan is a major source of travel to the United States, providing 
substantial economic benefits. An estimated 3.7 million Japanese 
visited the United States in 2012, ranking Japan 4th in number of 
travelers to the United States. Japan ranked second behind Canada, 
however, in the amount of total spending by travelers in the United 
States in 2012--close to $15 billion.
    The number of Japanese outbound travelers in 2012 was 18.5 million, 
an increase of 8.8 percent over the previous year. This is the highest 
in Japanese history. As of November 2012, 3.4 million Japanese visitors 
had traveled to the United States, a 14-percent increase over the same 
period last year. CS Japan projects that Japan should finish 2012 at 
around 3.7 million visitors to the United States. Projections for 
United States destinations remain good in 2013 regardless of any 
depreciation of the yen.
    After more than two decades of stagnation, Japan's travel industry 
is seen as growing. With the implementation of the Open Skies Agreement 
and the introduction of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, new nonstop flights 
have begun between Boston, Seattle, San Diego, San Jose, and Denver 
with Tokyo. In addition, BrandUSA and the Japan Association of Travel 
Agents successfully implemented a ``Japan-U.S. Tourism Exchange Year'' 
in 2012/13. As a result, the United States has enjoyed high visibility 
in recent months, and now is an excellent time for the U.S. travel 
industry to capitalize on that groundwork to actively promote their

[[Page 34345]]

destinations and services in the Japanese market.

Other Products and Services

    The foregoing analysis of travel and tourism opportunities in 
Taiwan, Japan, and Korea is not intended to be exhaustive, but 
illustrative of the many opportunities available to U.S. businesses. 
Applications from companies selling products or services within the 
scope of this mission, but not specifically identified, will be 
considered and evaluated by the Department of Commerce. Companies whose 
products or services do not fit the scope of the mission may contact 
their local U.S. Export Assistance Center to learn about other business 
development missions and services that may provide more targeted export 
opportunities. Companies may call 1-800-872-8723, or go to http://help.export.gov/ to obtain such information. This information also may 
be found on the Web site http://www.export.gov.

Mission Goals

    The goal of this Trade Mission is to help U.S. destinations and 
tourism suppliers, including receptive tour operators, to develop their 
contacts and generate exports in Taiwan, Japan and Korea by providing 
business-to-business introductions and market access information so 
they can position themselves to enter or expand their presence in the 
Taiwan, Japanese and Korean markets.

Mission Scenario

    The Taiwan-Japan-Korea Travel and Tourism Trade Mission will visit 
Taipei, Tokyo and Seoul, allowing participants to access the largest 
markets and business centers in the three countries. In each city, 
participants will meet with potential business contacts.

                           Proposed Time Table
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             Date                      Day                Activity
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March 9.......................  Sunday--Taipei...  Arrive in Taipei.
March 10......................  Monday--Taipei...  Mission Meetings
                                                    Officially Start;
                                                    Breakfast briefing
                                                    with U.S. Embassy
                                                    Staff; One-on-one
                                                    business
                                                    appointments;
                                                    Evening business
                                                    reception.
March 11......................  Tuesday Travel to
                                 Tokyo.
March 12......................  Wednesday--Tokyo.  Briefing by U.S.
                                                    Embassy Staff; One-
                                                    on-one business
                                                    meetings; Evening
                                                    business reception.
March 13......................  Thursday Travel
                                 to Seoul.
March 14......................  Friday--Seoul....  Briefing by U.S.
                                                    Embassy Staff; One-
                                                    on-one business
                                                    meetings; Evening
                                                    business reception;
                                                    Mission ends.
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*Note: The final schedule and potential site visits will depend on the
  availability of local government and business officials, specific
  goals of mission participants, and air travel schedules.

Participation Requirements

    All parties interested in participating in the trade mission to 
Japan, Korea and Taiwan must complete and submit an application package 
for consideration by DOC. All applicants will be evaluated on their 
ability to meet certain conditions and best satisfy the selection 
criteria as outlined below. U.S. companies or trade associations 
already doing business with Japan, Korea and Taiwan, as well as U.S. 
companies seeking to enter these markets for the first time, may apply. 
A minimum of fifteen, and a maximum of thirty, companies and/or trade 
associations will be selected from the applicant pool for participation 
in this mission.

Fees and Expenses

    After a company has been selected to participate in the mission, a 
payment to the Department of Commerce in the form of a participation 
fee is required.
    This Trade Mission is organized as three separate segments (Taiwan, 
Korea and Japan). Companies may choose to participate in one, two or 
all three segments. The fee for participating in more than one segment 
is the sum of the individual segments.
    For business-to-business meetings in Taiwan only (not traveling to 
an additional trade mission country), the participation fee will be 
$1,400 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) \1\* and $1,625 for 
large firms*.
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    \1\ An SME is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or 
that otherwise qualifies as a small business under SBA regulations 
(see http://www.sba.gov/services/contracting opportunities/
sizestandardstopics/index.html). Parent companies, affiliates, and 
subsidiaries will be considered when determining business size. The 
dual pricing reflects the Commercial Service's user fee schedule 
that became effective May 1, 2008 (see http://www.export.gov/newsletter/march2008/initiatives.html for additional information).
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    For business-to-business meetings in Japan only (not traveling to 
an additional trade mission country), the participation fee will be 
$1,725 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) \1\* and $1,925 for 
large firms*.
    For business-to-business meetings in Korea only (not traveling to 
an additional trade mission country), the participation fee will be 
$1,275 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) \1\* and $1,475 for 
large firms*.

Conditions for Participation

     An applicant must submit a completed and signed mission 
application and supplemental application materials, including adequate 
information on the company's products and/or services, primary market 
objectives, and goals for participation. If the Department of Commerce 
receives an incomplete application, the Department may reject the 
application, request additional information, or take the lack of 
information into account when evaluating the application.
     Each applicant must also certify that it seeks to attract 
international travelers to the United States and that the travel and 
tourism products and services it seeks to export through the mission 
are located in the United States.

Selection Criteria for Participation

     Suitability of the company's (or, in the case of a trade 
association or trade organization, represented companies') products or 
services to the market.
     Company's (or, in the case of a trade association or trade 
organization, represented companies') potential for conducting business 
in the country and region, including likelihood of exports resulting 
from the mission.
     Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with 
the stated scope of the mission.
    Diversity of company size, sector or subsector, and location may 
also be considered during the review process.
    Referrals from political organizations and any documents containing 
references to partisan political activities (including political 
contributions) will be removed from an applicant's

[[Page 34346]]

submission and not considered during the selection process.

Timeframe for Recruitment and Applications

    Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, 
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the 
Department of Commerce trade mission calendar (www.export.gov/trademissions) and other Internet Web sites, press releases to general 
and trade media, notices by industry trade associations and other 
multiplier groups, and publicity at industry meetings, symposia, 
conferences, and trade shows.
    Recruitment for the mission will conclude no later than February 7, 
2014. The U.S. Department of Commerce will review applications and make 
selection decisions on a rolling basis until the maximum of thirty 
participants is reached. We will inform all applicants of selection 
decisions as soon as possible after the applications are reviewed. 
Applications received after February 7, 2014 will be considered only if 
space and scheduling constraints permit.

How To Apply

    Applications can be downloaded from the trade mission Web site or 
can be obtained by contacting the Department of Commerce staff listed 
below. Completed applications should be submitted to Frank Spector at 
[email protected].
Contacts
Commercial Service Trade Missions Program, Frank Spector, Senior, 
International Trade Specialist, Tel: 202-482-2054, Email: 
[email protected]
U.S. Commercial Service (U.S.), Anastasia Xenias, 212-809-2685, Email: 
[email protected]
U.S. Commercial Service Japan, Stephen Anderson, Commercial 
Attach[eacute], Tel: 81-3-3224-5058, Email: [email protected]
U.S. Commercial Service Korea, Keenton Chiang, Commercial Attache, Tel: 
82-2-397-4908, Email: [email protected]
American Institute in Taiwan, Scott Pozil, Deputy Commercial Section 
Chief, Ph: 886-2-2720-1550 ext. 381, Email: [email protected]

Frank Spector,
Senior International Trade Specialist, Global Trade Programs.
[FR Doc. 2013-13489 Filed 6-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-FP-P