Ambassadors for tourism appear on an official webpage inviting foreign visitors to Taiwan. Attracting tourists through celebrities has become a key promotion strategy of the Tourism Bureau. File photo

TAIPEI: "Jerry, Jerry, you're so cute! Jerry, Jerry, I love you."

It was an orison to star power, as teen idol Jerry Yan stepped before 2,000 lustily chanting fans last month in Taipei. It was an eclectic crowd. People came from all over, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, the US, Canada, the mainland and Macao.

For anyone present in the room, the energy was nearly tangible and it was hard not to feel the power.

Let's suppose each of those 2,000 fans spent NT$50,000 ($1,515) to participate in that outpouring of hero worship.

Local media made that supposition, and estimated a total of NT$100 million for Taiwan's tourism industry for that one event.

The Tourism Bureau of Taiwan loves hearing about that.

The bureau has been trying to capitalize on star power, as one of many strategies dedicated to boosting Taiwan's tourist business.

And just to make things even rosier for the bureau, its first endorsement contract was with F4, the boy band consisting of Jerry Yan and fellow Meteor Garden co-stars.

It proved a great plan. After F4 became Taiwan's tourism ambassadors, the number of visitors from Japan shot up to a record high of 1.16 million in 2007. What's especially significant is that the upswing in numbers came at a time when Japanese tourists were starting to show strong preferences for staying home, said the director general of the Tourism Bureau.

The number of South Korean tourists jumped 15 percent that year to more than 220,000, she added.

It's hardly the first time show business has given a boost to tourism. South Korea set the example by drawing in tourists with romantic TV dramas set in elegant resorts.

Taiwan adopted the formula. Taiwan has signed up more stars from its power house of Chinese-pop icons, including A-Mei and Jolin Choi, to create publicity in South Asia. The results have been encouraging. Tourism Bureau statistics show visitors from most markets in the region have been growing over the last year despite the economic crisis.

Another plan offered subsidies to television programs that gave exposure to Taiwan tourist destinations.

One example is the romantic TV drama, Wish to See You Again, which got an NT$80 million bonus for showcasing Taiwan to the Japanese audience, according to media reports.

The government has also made funding available to foreign productions. The South Korean series, True Love On Air, got financial support for shooting Taiwan's showcase locales.

The meet-the-star events do not cost a lot but they are capable of generating NT$2 billion of annual tourism revenue, according to the estimate of Wayne Liu, director of the Tourism Bureau's International Affairs Division.

When a star talks about a favorite hangout or tells an anecdote about a Taiwan city, fans remember, Liu said.

A drawback, however, is that many fans of teen idols can't afford to travel much.

Lee I-chia, general manager of Everlight Travel Service, said the tourism ought to be promoting the mature stars - the kind who appeal to established, middle-aged people who have money.

Veteran singers such as Fei Yu-ching, Judy Chiang or Feng Fei-fei have a huge following in Southeast Asia. Travel packages featuring their concerts will appeal to many potential tourists, he said.

China Daily/CNA

(HK Edition 07/24/2009 page2)