The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) held a discussion meeting with Overseas Compatriot Card (OCC) authorized store operators on January 16. The meeting was chaired by OCAC Deputy Minister Kao Chien-chih on behalf of OCAC Minister Wu Hsin-hsing. 58 representatives of domestic transport business, hotel business and food service business were invited to exchange opinions. Kao expressed the hope that various OCC special offer schemes will stimulate the willingness of overseas compatriots to make purchases and create business opportunities in various industries, creating a win-win situation. 

Kao said that the OCAC intends to build an emotional link between overseas compatriots and Taiwan through the OCC. At present, there are over 2700 authorized stores (business) in Taiwan; the card can also be used overseas, making the business opportunity “pie,” generated by the OCC, even bigger. He also mentioned that a virtual OCC has been introduced, allowing the holder to enjoy the card’s benefits through their smart phone even without a physical card.

Authorized store operators successively stated that they have noticed an increased willingness of overseas compatriots to visit Taiwan and spend money and that their business results have seen clear improvement. In particular, when they introduced OCC’s special offers in cooperation with the OCAC during last year’s National Day, they noticed the huge business opportunities brought by overseas compatriots. They hope that their cooperation with the OCAC will continue this year.