An experienced blogger, Ken Worker moved into the travel industry at the age of 36. Best known to the public as a leader of international tours, master guide and history buff, Worker established the PanTravel website in 2015, and the Rice Tour travel agency in 2017. In addition to developing international markets, Worker has also focused on local revitalization and local mini-tours in Taiwan, and advocated for domestic travel. He originally planned to work on developing tours in Taiwan when he was older, but the pandemic pushed his timetable forward.
Worker didn’t find the switch from international to domestic travel difficult. He and his partners are firm believers in “garage entrepreneurship,” and their company has always been small scale. The “Drinkers’ Bus” project combines his personal interests and expertise. Worker spent years dreaming up “can’t miss” products for consumers, which led to his themed tours. More recently, he has leveraged his fondness for alcoholic beverages by arranging visits to breweries, wineries and distilleries in Taiwan and abroad, and has become fascinated by the way terroir flavors products. Since alcoholic beverage production generally takes place in the countryside and one shouldn’t drink and drive, those planning a visit can’t sample the products if they drive themselves there. A laughing Worker remarks that that creates an irresistible incentive to join a tour.
Worker began booking a tour of breweries, wineries and distilleries in Kagoshima, Japan back in February of this year, and was encouraged by the market’s enthusiastic response. But then the pandemic arrived. Forced to retarget his “Drinkers’ Bus” concept to Taiwan, he began with Yilan. “Did you know that there are ten producers of alcoholic beverages in Yilan alone?” We shake our heads. “These tours are an opportunity to rediscover Taiwan.”
National borders have been closed since the early days of the pandemic, and the travel industry has borne the brunt of the impact. But Worker’s Facebook feed shows that many of his industry colleagues are exploring Taiwanese experiences, applying methods from foreign tour planning to creating domestic tours and launching new itineraries. Worker says it’s an exciting thought, “It gives us all a chance to take a fresh look at Taiwan.”
“Since we can’t go abroad during the pandemic, let’s discover and interpret Taiwan anew!”