More than 100 couples from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong were invited by the Tourism Bureau to have dinner at the top of Taipei 101 last night.
The event was part of the bureau’s program to promote Taiwan as a destination for couples or newlyweds to take wedding photos and spend their honeymoon.
Each couple was also entered in a prize draw to win a 1-carat diamond ring worth NT$240,000.
Wayne Liu (劉喜臨), chief of the Tourism Bureau’s international travel division, said that the bureau informed travel agencies in the three locations about the promotion, and they included it in their tours.
A majority of the tourists are here on a four-day trip that will take them to many popular scenic spots for their wedding photos. The tour costs approximately NT$25,000 per person.
Aside from this event, the Tourism Bureau also hosted an online competition earlier this year asking couples to write their wedding proposals or vows.
While the bureau allowed people to vote online for what they considered the best proposal or vow, the bureau also asked a group of experts to pick the three most creative.
The bureau hosted a ceremony yesterday afternoon to introduce the winners.
The experts gave first prize to 25-year-old Singaporean Ang Shiyi (汪世義), who used the Taipei 101 building and the number “101” as the theme for his proposal to his girlfriend.
“To propose at Taipei 101, the tallest building in the world, must be a really romantic thing to do,” Ang said, adding that Taiwan is a place with good food and many tourist attractions.
At the ceremony, Ang got down on one knee and proposed. His girlfriend accepted by saying “I do.”
Both Ang and his girlfriend will be treated by the Tourism Bureau to a free three-day trip around the country.
Liu added that the bureau had received 533 proposals or wedding vows that were voted on by more than 20,000 people in an online poll.
Aside from the Taiwanese media, the ceremony was covered by 35 media organizations from Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea, who came at the invitation of the Tourism Bureau.
Some of the national scenic areas also laid out events to attract the attention of couples over the next few months. Alishan, for example, will invite couples to dress in traditional Tsou Aboriginal outfits and experience a Tsou Tribe wedding from August to October.
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