Opinion is divided over whether this year’s Taiwan International Balloon Festival should proceed, given a COVID-19 outbreak.
Taitung County Commissioner Yao Ching-ling (饒慶鈴) said that she would follow guidance issued by the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) and not hold the event “just for the sake of it,” while the Taitung County Council has voted to postpone the festival until a level 3 COVID-19 alert is lowered to level 2.
Meanwhile, some Taitung residents wrote a letter to the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) to call on the county government to propose a post-pandemic, long-term growth strategy. Whether to focus on the economy or continue to prohibit large gatherings has become an after-dinner talking point among Taitung residents.
The festival has been regularly held over the past decade and attracts nearly 1 million visitors, injecting an astounding NT$200 million (US$7.14 million) into the economy. During the summer holiday, Taitung hotels and guesthouses are fully booked, and businesses do a roaring trade. The spillover effect stimulates the local tourism industry and the economy.
However, there is no hiding the fact that the large crowds and increased traffic influence the safety and quality of local life; some grumble and complain about it.
It has become fashionable for Taiwanese to make a pilgrimage to the festival, located on picturesque mountainside grassland in the county’s Luye Township (鹿野). There is plenty of space for visitors to sit or recline on the grassy slopes and take in the majestic panorama of hot air balloons set against nature’s canvas. It is an incredibly relaxing experience that lifts the spirits.
However, while most visitors are static observers, taking a ride in one of the balloons is highly recommended. I once visited a famous hot air balloon tourist area in Turkey’s Cappadocia region. Visitors head there specifically to ride in the balloons and see the awesome views, whereas in Taiwan, we seem to consider it a “spectator sport.” The organizers of the festival should develop the event into a bigger attraction by encouraging more visitors to take rides so that they can drink up the stunning, 360 degree emerald-green alpine scenery and feel the pleasure of soaring through the air.
A growth strategy for Taitung’s tourism industry must place equal emphasis on quality and quantity. In fact, there is no reason why hot air balloon activities in Taitung should be limited to summertime. The only time that would not be suitable is winter, when northeasterly winds would negatively affect the activity.
The county government should assist the tourism industry in transforming the festival into an ecological hot air balloon-riding tourist experience, similar to what has developed in Cappadocia. Not only would this help stimulate domestic tourism, it would also open Taitung to the international market and promote the Taitung brand on the international stage.
Once the COVID-19 alert is lowered to level 2, the CECC’s rules are to allow outdoor gatherings of up to 500 people and indoor gatherings of up to 100. In previous years, the festival attracted an average of at least 10,000 visitors per day. As this would pose a potential danger and allow the virus to run rampant, it would be impossible to hold the festival this summer.
It would be better for the county government to spend its energy promoting the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine program so that we can eradicate the virus as soon as possible and allow tourists to safely return to Taitung, where they could once again appreciate its wonderful hot air balloons.
Chen Chien-hsien is director of the Taitung Sports Development Foundation.
Translated by Edward Jones
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