Taiwan's edge in tourism lies in its "friendly people" and "delicious food

What edge does DC have? (You know my thoughts on this--architecture and history.)

Taipei, Nov. 22 (CNA) Taiwan's edge in tourism lies in its "friendly people" and "delicious food, " a survey of foreign arrivals released by the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of the Transportation and the Communications showed Tuesday. The Tourism Bureau conducted the survey at the CKS International Airport and Kaohsiung Hsiaokang International Airport in the first half of the year in a bid to get a picture of the spending habits of tourists and their activities during their stays in Taiwan.

From "Touring Taiwan by Rail."

Compared with neighboring countries such as Thailand, Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, foreign tourists think Taiwan's edge lies in its friendly people, (34 out of 100 cited this factor) , followed by delicious food (33 out 100) , consumer prices (16 out of 100) , and good social order (13 out of 100). Other factors cited included local customs, fine weather, tasty fruits, nighttime leisure activities, scenery, near proximity to scenic sites, historical artifacts, democracy and leisure facilities.

Foreign tourists made 1.65 million visits in the first half of the year, up 18.41 percent from the same period last year. Among them, 650,000 visits were for tourism, 46.14 percent higher than the same period last year. Tourism revenues in the first six months totaled NT$2.39 billion (US$71.34 million), up 29.62 percent from the same period last year. The overall approval rating of tourism in Taiwan was 84 percent, up 4 percentage points from the same period last year. (By Lilian Wu)