The nation’s largest international travel show is set to begin in the middle of next month in Taipei, organizers said yesterday, adding that with the expanding local tourism sector, the scale will be the biggest ever, with a record number of exhibition booths.
The Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF), in its 25th year this year, will be bigger than ever with more than 230,000 people expected to visit the 1,500 booths operated by 60 countries over the four-day event, which starts on Nov. 11.
Japan’s 92 booths outnumber those of any other nation. South Korea is second with 26 booths, followed by Malaysia with 20 and Macau and Thailand with 15 each. Exhibitors from Brazil and the Dominican Republic will set up booths for the first time.
The Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA), the organizer of the fair, said that besides the 25 percent increase in the number of exhibition booths, it will also be the first time the fair has expanded from one exhibition hall to two, to accommodate enthusiastic exhibitors and crowds.
The Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1 will include booths operated by local and foreign travel agencies and bureaus, as well as theme parks and tourist spots, while Hall 3 will feature hotels, guest houses and hot springs throughout the country, said Yeh Pi-hua (葉碧華), TVA’s executive director.
Those interested can get a 10 percent discount on pre-sale admission tickets that go on sale at 12pm on Tuesday, the organizers said.
Foreign tourists who purchase a seven-day Taiwan Pass are to get a second one free of charge as part of a government bid to boost tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. A pair of Taiwan Passes is priced at NT$5,000 (US$156.44), an agency staff member said, adding that the passes can be used separately. The pass can be used in many of Taiwan’s major cities and to travel to several tourist resorts. It expires seven days after it is first used. The pass is a three-in-one package covering the high-speed rail system, mass rapid transport (MRT) services and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle services,
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