The introduction of mobile and third-party payment platforms is expected to bolster the nation’s burgeoning e-commerce market. Taiwan’s payments industry is getting a needed shakeup with the adoption of contactless technology to facilitate mobile transactions and the passage new legislation to legalize third-party electronic payment services. Those changes will not fundamentally alter the island’s payments…
The proliferation of low-cost carriers (LCCs) is transforming the aviation business – in Taiwan as well as elsewhere around the globe. Although the first budget airline to serve Taipei, Jetstar Airways of Singapore, entered the market a decade ago, the local LCC business has been expanding rapidly in just the past few years. There are…
Time is running out for a solution to avert bankruptcy and total takeover by the government. Hurtling along at speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, Taiwan’s High Speed Rail is a marvel of modern technology and convenience, shuttling travelers between Taipei in the north and Kaohsiung in the south – a distance of…
When the distance-based “eTag” electronic toll collection (ETC) system for Taiwan’s freeways was first launched in January 2014, it was the subject of heated criticism for alleged unreliability. Now, more than a year later, it is not only running smoothly but has won international acclaim as a model intelligent transportation system. The number of cars…
Taiwan has opened to large-displacement American “cruiser” motorcycles, though many obstacles remain. The rumble of a Harley Davidson or an Indian Chief still turns heads in downtown Taipei. Despite an over-abundance of two-wheeled powered vehicles in every street and alley, these American-style “cruiser” motorcycles are still a rarity in Taiwan due to prohibitive import taxes…
The recent plane crash in the Keelung River has renewed calls for closing the airport earlier than the planned target of 2030. The existence of an airport taking up 400 hectares of prime real estate right in the middle of Taipei City has for decades annoyed a great number politicians, city planners, opinion leaders, and…
Taiwan needs to reinvent itself, and one potential solution is to develop a luxury goods market that is the envy of the region. This is part of a 6-part feature story on luxury goods in Taiwan: Aiming to be Asia’s Luxury Shopping Destination From Bags to Riches The Jewelry in Taiwan’s Crown Luxury Watches: More…
Liuligongfang is one of the very few Taiwan companies with the necessary cultural heft to become a luxury brand. It is little wonder that Taiwan, as a relatively recent arrival to the international high-end consumption market, does not really have a major luxury brand to call its own. Few countries do, in fact. According to…
Why settle for less when you can have more, appears to be the Gloria Hotel Group’s business model as it expands its footprint. One of the reasons why Taiwan is more a business-class rather than first-class destination for luxury goods is that apart from buying things, there is little else for international men or women…
If you thought luxury timepieces have had their day, think again. The watch you wear says a lot about you. There was a time when Taiwan was famed for producing fake Rolex watches. They were so good it was hard to tell them apart from the real thing – though being sold in a night…
