2018 USA GOODWILL TOUR

SUMMARY

The USA Goodwill Tour was a joint venture produced by Bridge Studios (Taiwan) in cooperation with ATAYAL organization (an American NGO) and HybridWeb (an American media company) for the purpose of promoting travel between Taiwan and the USA and strengthening the current Sister City relationships between Taiwan and the USA.

We covered our own travel and transportation expenses, and we are producing Mandarin-language videos of the travel experiences. The total Video Production Budget was USD$10,300.

A special thanks goes out to Sophie Chang for the excellent translation services for the Mandarin Chinese version of this web page.

The project included:

1. The creation of two Mandarin Chinese language episodes of “On The Road with the XJ2 Crew” in Seattle, Washington and Orlando, Florida and many other travel video clips.
2. A lecture series promoting travel between Taiwan and the USA.

The "XJ2 Crew" is the brand name of a online travel resource, which is about an American family that has been working to promote travel between Taiwan and the USA and other English-speaking countries. The family is based in Tainan City, Taiwan, and they have produced an online English-language travel show for YouTube that promotes family-friendly travel in Taiwan.

They travelled to the USA in the Summer of 2018 to promote travel to Taiwan. They began their trip by spedning a few weeks in Seattle, Washington, and they spent a few weeks in Orlando, Florida. The XJ2 Crew visited major cities in between, such as New York City, Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon.

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - In Seattle, Washington, the family participated in a cultural exchange program organized by the ATAYAL organization, an American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. This program, known as the Tribal Journeys Cultural Exchange Program, brings Taiwanese delegation to participate in an important annual cultural festival with several Native American tribes. They XJ2 Crew documented the experience for their travel show.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - The XJ2 Crew is producing an episode of travel in Orlando, Florida in Mandarin Chinese language, and later present that to the Tainan City Government in an effort to promote travel between the two Sister Cities.

OTHER USA SISTER CITIES - The XJ2 Crew had the opportunity to visit the Sister Cities of other Taiwanese cities to promote goodwill, understanding and travel advice. For example, Kaohsiung > Seattle, WA | Kaohsiung > Portland, OR | Kaohsiung City > Pensacola, FL | Hualien > Bellevue, WA | Taipei > Atlanta, GA | Taipei > Las Vegas, NV

DESTINATIONS

The XJ2 Crew visited 27 States to explore and share the fun and interesting local cultures. Check out the map below to see their destinations.

PHOTOS

See the photos from the XJ2 Crew as they journeyed on their 2018 USA Goodwill Tour.

Provo
Utah USA

Las Vegas
Nevada USA

Grand Canyon National Park
Arizona USA

Austin
Texas USA

Natchitoches
Louisiana USA

USS Alabama
Alabama USA

Kennedy Space Center
Merrit Island, Florida USA

Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World
Florida USA

National Cemetery, Grafton
West Virginia USA

Greenwich Village, New York City
New York USA

One World Trade Center, NYC
New York USA

Wall Street, New York City
New York USA

Staten Island Ferry, NYC
New York USA

Manhattan, New York City
New York USA

Central Park, Manhattan
New York USA

Flushing, Queens
New York USA

Niagara Falls
Ontario Canada

Omaha
Nebraska USA

Mt. Rushmore
South Dakota USA

Yellowstone National Park
Wyoming USA

Grand Teton
Wyoming USA

Idaho Falls
Idaho USA

Seattle Center
Washington USA

La Conner
Washington USA

Mt. Rainier
Washington USA

Olympic Game Farm
Washington USA

Sol Duc Falls
Washington USA

Lake Crescent
Washington USA

Hurricane Ridge
Washington USA

Port Angeles
Washington USA

Seattle
Washington USA

OPPORTUNITIES

1. Increased Tourism Between Taiwan and English-Speaking Nations - According to Taiwan’s government statistics, after the number of tourists from China dramatically decreased, the Taiwan’s tourism industry rebounded by attracting more tourists from other countries. This has had a positive affect on the tourism industry in Taiwan, as the amount of money (per person) spent by tourists from Japan, Southeast Asia and Western countries is substantially greater. Tourism from the USA is not significant, but it could be increased through more soft power and media projects. YouTube is now one of the most effective media influencers, and it is currently underutilized to attract tourism to Taiwan from English-speaking countries. Tourism from American citizens accounts for only 5.3% and Australia and New Zealand accounts for only 1.5% according to the Ministry of Tourism (Dec 2017). There is a lack of awareness and understanding in these countries about Taiwan, which is an opportunity. The projects from Bridge Studios could help to increase the awareness and attractiveness of Taiwan as a travel destination. Likewise, the Mandarin-language videos produced about tourism to Sister Cities in the USA can increase tourism to those American cities.
2. Stimulating Interaction with Sister City Relationships by Fostering Understanding - The Sister City relationships, organized by Sister Cities International, have participation by cities in Taiwan. The Taiwanese cities have conducted exchange activities through these relationships, however, the activities have been very limited. The understanding between the Sister Cities is very narrow, and it is due to the rather limited exchanges, lack of meaning shared information content and language barrier. The XJ2 Crew propose to travel to the USA as young goodwill ambassadors to have a meaningful exchange, to share in positive interaction with Sister City representatives of Seattle and Orlando. They have much to share about travel in Taiwan, and will produce new content about travel in those American cities to present to their Sister Cities in Taiwan.
3. Tapping Into the Potential of YouTube - There is little media coverage of Taiwan in the United States. As the traditional news sources become more political, more consumers of news and information are turning to YouTube videos as a convenient source of information. There is currently very little English-language content about Taiwan on YouTube, where there are millions of regular viewers. This provides an opportunity for the Taiwanese tourism industry. XJ2 Crew has produced video content from around Taiwan, and will be able to do much more with your support.

SHORT-TERM GOALS

The short-term goals are oriented around generating interest among Americans to travel to Taiwan and Taiwanese to travel to the USA. Unlike other tourism promotion efforts, this project will focus on family-friendly travel and reveal what are locations and activities that are fun for families. The Sister City relationships between Taiwan and the USA will be a focal point of the efforts, making the most of international relationships that are already established. Orlando, Florida will be the first Sister City relationship to develop for Tourism Exchange, and the producer, Tony Coolidge, was a committee member in the City of Orlando responsible for development of the Sister City relationship between Orlando and Tainan City, Taiwan.

The short-term goals include:

1. Promoting a Tourism Exchange project between Sister Cities.
2. Producing a Mandarin-Chinese language travel video of the Orlando, Florida area to share with Tainan City government and its residents.
3. Initiating a first contact and introduction in July 2018 with the City of Seattle government officials to take part in the Tourism Exchange project.
4. Producing a Mandarin-Chinese language travel video of the Seattle, Washington area to share with Kaohsiung City government and its residents.
5. Producing many travel video clips throughout their journey across the USA.
6. Giving presentations in the Summer of 2018 in different cities in the USA about Family-Friendly Travel in Taiwan.

LONG-TERM GOALS

The long-term goals are oriented around being a catalyst for sustained relationships between Sister Cities in Taiwan and the USA. Each year, we can produce travel shows and make presentations for additional Sister City relationships. We intend to build more Internet resources for family travel.

Johan and Tony Coolidge participated in the 2018 Tribal Journeys International Cultural Exchange Program.

The long-term goals include:

1. Produce a travel show for a different pair of Sister Cities each year
2. Continue a travel promotion presentation series throughout the USA and Europe
3. Organize resources and special tours specifically catered for families
4. Have the Coolidge Brothers YouTube Channel become well-recognized internationally
5. Have the XJ2 Crew video series broadcast on television

ACTIVITIES

The following activities for the 2018 USA Goodwill Tour were designed to effectively achieve three of our cultural and tourism exchange goals and maximize our reach in the USA within the constraints of our budget.

The XJ2 Crew will introduce Tainan City Tourism in the USA while producing a video about its Sister City, Orlando, Florida.

• XJ2 Crew Travel Video Production - English-language videos are being produced in Taiwan about family-friendly travel destinations and travel tips. Mandarin-Chinese-language videos will be produced in the USA about family-friendly travel destinations and travel tips, focusing on the Sister Cities that have relations in Taiwan. Video will be produced by Bridge Studios, a company based in Tainan City, Taiwan. The videos focus on the experience of three young American brothers who love to travel together, the Coolidge Brothers (Johan, Xander and Jaden).
• International Cultural Exchange Program Participation - Tony Coolidge and Johan Coolidge participated in the Tribal Journeys Cultural Exchange Program, which brings a Taiwanese indigenous delegation to the Pacific Northwest to participate with this important annual Native American cultural event involving many tribes in Washington State and Canada. In this annual cultural exchange event, tribal families from many tribes paddle canoes in traditional fashion, following ancient migration routes to visit different Native American communities along the coast. There will be video produced to document and share these special experiences.
• Taiwan Tourism Promotion - The XJ2 Crew will visit different cities in the USA, seeking opportunities to lecture and promote Tourism in Taiwan.
• Internet Marketing and Social Media - Promotional activities are being conducted for the 2018 Tourism Exchange and Goodwill Program and XJ2 Crew using their YouTube Channel, web site, blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Getting views of the content they produce is the primary goal, in order to educate the public about unique tourism opportunities.

SCHEDULE

The following schedule of activities was followed.

1. July 4, 2018 – July 17, 2018 – Seattle Washington – Arrived in the USA and toured the Seattle area.
2. July 13, 2018 – July 16, 2018 – Seattle, Washington – Went camping in the Olympic Mountains
3. July 17, 2018 – July 23, 2018 – Seattle, Washington – Participation in the Tribal Journeys International Cultural Exchange Program.
4. July 25, 2018 – August 6, 2018 – Travel from Seattle, Washington to Orlando, Florida
5. August 6, 2018 – August 15, 2018 – Orlando, Florida – Toured SeaWorld, Disney and Kennedy Space Center
6. August 16, 2018 – August 18, 2018 – Travel from Orlando, Florida to Austin, Texas.
7. August 18, 2018 – August 24, 2018 – Austin, Texas - Toured the Austin area
8. August 25, 2018 – September 1, 2018 – Travel from Austin, Texas to Seattle, Washington.
9. September 2, 2018 – September 5, 2018 – Seattle, Washington – Return to Taiwan.

PARTNERS

The 2018 USA Goodwill Tour was made possible by the following partners:

Bridge Studios - This company was founded in Tainan City, Taiwan by Shu-min and Tony Coolidge in 2012, and its original purpose was to produce cultural and educational exchange events and projects in Taiwan. In 2013, it produced the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program in cooperation with the ATAYAL organization. In 2015-2016, it produced the American Basketball English Program to help Tainan City students to have breakthroughs in English language education. In recent years, the company produced media projects to share stories related to culture and travel.

ATAYAL - This American 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (NGO) was registered in the State of Florida in 2001. The ATAYAL Organization has been the leading organization in North America educating global citizens about the indigenous culture of Taiwan, producing cultural exchange events, videos and documentary films. More importantly, the organization has been active building relationships between Taiwanese tribes and Native American tribes and the tribes of Austronesia. As an American NGO, it is in a position of raising funds in the USA for cultural projects. ATAYAL organization is currently producing the second year of its Tribal Journeys International Cultural Exchange Program.

HybridWeb - This American corporation is a leading developer of Internet marketing solutions. The professionals of this company has served the Internet development and marketing needs of large (Fortune 500) and small client in the USA, Taiwan, China, and other countries. The company currently is responsible for developing and promoting the YouTube Channel, web site, and social media for the XJ2 Crew. They will also rent media production equipment for shooting of XJ2 Crew video footage in the USA.

ORGANIZERS

Tony and Shu-min Coolidge are experienced media producers.

Tony Coolidge - Producer/Foreign Correspondent Journalist - Tony's father was American and his mother was Taiwanese from the Atayal tribe. His story can be seen in the internationally award-winning documentary film, Voices in the Clouds 《眾族同聲》, produced by Aaron Hose. He moved to Taiwan in 2009 to be a "bridge," sharing Taiwan's culture with the world, and to create projects that expand international cultural cooperation with Taiwan. Cultural and Education Projects include the Taproot Cultural Exchange Program, Austronesian Film Festival and the American English Basketball Program. Tony is currently an educator and journalist writing for newspapers and magazines, with his work published in CNN.com, Taipei Times, and the International News Lens. He is also the East Asian Correspondent for Cultural Survival Magazine. Tony has been a business owner of multimedia companies in the USA and a founder of NGOs. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

Shu-min Coolidge - Co-Producer - Shu-min Coolidge is the co-founder of Bridge Studios in Tainan, Taiwan. In Taiwan, she has been involved in the organization of cultural and education projects. She is an experienced translator and business owner. Mrs. Coolidge has been a professional Chinese/English translator working in the USA for ten years on projects for large companies in Orlando, Florida. She taught Chinese language to honors students at the University of Central Florida and to members of the Orlando Magic (NBA) organization. Shu-min earned a Bachelor's Degree from the Tamkang University (淡江大學) of Tamsui, Taiwan.