Taipei, July 11 (CNA) The Hilton Hotel, a fond memory for many Taiwanese after it left Taiwan in 2002, said Tuesday that it is coming back to Taiwan, with a brand new presence in Xinban Special District of New Taipei.
Francis Lee, the Hilton's senior vice president of development for Greater China and Mongolia, told local media he is not worried about shrinking numbers of Chinese tourists, as he sees blue skies over the long term for Taiwan's tourism industry.
He said the Xinban Hilton, which is due to open early next year, might be hit with low room occupancy initially, but added that there will be more and more international visitors attracted to Taiwan.
The hotel brand's new presence in Taiwan will try to work with local cookie shops and gourmet food suppliers to attract foreign visitors, Lee said.
The new hotel will also create a new environ for the tourism sector by carrying out the Hilton's ideas of not supplying shark fin dishes and not using PET bottles but using only glass bottles, among other things, Lee said.
The hospitality chain, which has nearly 5,000 properties with more than 812,000 rooms in 103 countries and territories, is cooperating with Hung Kuo Real Estate Development Corp. to build the new hotel.
The Hilton said on its website: "In the nearly 100 years since our founding, we have defined the hospitality industry and have established a portfolio of 14 world-class brands, including our flagship Hilton Hotels & Resorts brand, which is the most recognized hotel brand in the world."
It opened in Taiwan in 1972, across the road from the Taipei Main Station, the first international five-star hotel to set up shop here.
In 2002, when it left Taiwan, the site was renamed the Caesar Park Taipei.
