TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Japan Transocean Air, a subsidiary of Japan Airlines, launched its inaugural Okinawa–Taoyuan flight on Tuesday.
At a ceremony at Taoyuan International Airport, Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association Chief Representative Katayama Kazuyuki said the new route makes it more convenient for Taiwanese travelers to visit Okinawa’s main and outlying islands and boosts the prefecture’s appeal as a tourism destination, CNA reported.
Okinawa is a popular destination for Taiwanese travelers after Tokyo, Hokkaido, and Osaka. Okinawa’s natural environment, along with its distinctive culture and history, are popular with Taiwanese visitors, Katayama said.
Tourism Administration Director Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said more than 6.7 million Taiwanese traveled to Japan last year, reflecting Japan’s popularity among Taiwanese. With Okinawa about an hour and a half from Taiwan, she said she hoped for more opportunities for frequent travel between Taiwan and Okinawa in the future.
The airline will run one round-trip per day using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, but it hopes to increase the service to two daily round-trips.
AloJapan.com