Taiwan president woos Japanese tourists to counter Chinese boycott

Meeting YouTube celebrities is one of the unconventional approaches

The mountain town of Jiufen, about an hour's drive from Taipei, is thought by some to be the inspiration for the film "Spirited Away." (Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau)

KENSAKU IHARA, Nikkei staff writer

September 30, 2019 20:05 JST

TAIPEI -- As Taiwan's tourist traffic from mainland China plummets ahead of the island's leadership race, President Tsai Ing-wen has turned to YouTube and other unconventional approaches to draw visitors from Japan and elsewhere.

The Taiwanese leader starred in a video in August with YouTube performers Sanyuan Japan, whom she welcomed into her official residence with traditional Taiwanese cuisine and tapioca milk tea.