The pandemic has grounded Taiwan’s new carrier for the time being, but its long-term prospects still look promising STARLUX Airlines had the misfortune of launching its business amid the worst pandemic in a century. The new Taiwanese carrier began flying on January 23, the first day of the 2020 Lunar New Year holiday and the…
Strong demand for the service could help offset the hit to Uber’s ride-hailing business as a result of the pandemic. The two aspects of Uber’s operations in Taiwan show the very different effects that the coronavirus pandemic can have on business. With few foreign tourists around since Taiwan closed its borders to non-residents on March…
The domestic travel boom is a double-edged sword, boosting tourism revenue but straining limited resources. There’s a first time for everything, like booking a table for one at a pizza restaurant. I did so recently at the insistence of Tsao Yu-lin, owner of the Blueshine B&B on Taiwan’s Matsu islands, even ordering the pie in…
The battle against hepatitis has largely been won, but rising fatty liver incidence has worrisome implications. Mr. Lee and his wife have always been in fairly good health. Now well into their 60s, they still run a small tailor shop near Dongmen Market in Taipei. Both are slender and have never been overweight. To the…
The next step is to fully reopen safely and share disease-control expertise with the world. The scene at Taipei’s Songshan Airport on a Saturday in July was surreal, at first blush utterly removed from the coronavirus pandemic that has shut down vast swaths of the world over the past six months. Passengers packed the domestic…
A hundred years ago, Taiwan was a Japanese colony with an ascendant gold-mining industry. When the Japanese colonial government established a Gold Mining Bureau, it divided the mining region in northern Taiwan into a western section, today’s Jiufen, and an eastern section, today’s Jinguashi. Both are now part of Ruifang District in New Taipei City….
Urban hotels dependent on global travelers are struggling with low occupancy rates, while rural properties catering to the domestic market are doing a brisk business. By late May, Taiwan had corralled the coronavirus. With no sign of local transmission and minimal imported infections, people began venturing out again. Aside from temperature checks at the door…
Taiwan has built a solid startup ecosystem over the past decade. Now it needs to strengthen its international connections. Recognizing the vital role of startup enterprises in fostering an innovative economy, Taiwan in recent years has put in place many of the pieces necessary to build a dynamic startup ecosystem. The privately invested accelerator AppWorks,…
Taiwan’s ranking by a money-laundering watchdog has risen over the past year, but future efforts will need to address challenges emerging from digitization of the financial sector. Taiwan has significantly strengthened its anti-money laundering regime in recent years, which has been reflected in its improved ranking by a key regional watchdog. In late 2019, the…
Success as a virtual bank in Taiwan would bring the Japanese messaging app closer to super app status In Taiwan, Japanese messaging app LINE is best known for its cartoonish stickers of furry creatures. LINE’s emojis telegraph the kawaii (literally “cute” in Japanese) culture of Japan many Taiwanese adore. Once hooked on the free stickers,…
