A range of "rainbow sightseeing bus tours" are to be launched in Taipei next month as part of Pride month celebrations, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday.
The rainbow bus tours, part of a series of Pride month events themed "2024 Color Taipei," are to feature drag queens as tour guides, tourism officials told a news conference.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Government
The bus tours would be offered on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Oct. 5 to 25, on three routes — Cultural, Music and Film.
On the Cultural tour route, the history of Taiwan's LGBTQ+ rights movement is to be highlighted, and it would include stops at landmarks such as Ximen Red House and the Rainbow Iron Gate of 228 Peace Park, the officials said.
The Music tour is to take passengers on a scenic ride through Taipei, with the bus playing pride music by Taiwanese pop stars A-Mei (張惠妹), Jolin Tsai (蔡依林) and Elva Hsiao (蕭亞軒).
The stops would include Ximen Red House and Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple, officials said.
Passengers on the Movie tour would visit the film locations of Taiwanese LGBTQ+ themed movies such as Crystal Boys, Eternal Summer and Blue Gate Crossing, the officials said.
The Cultural bus tour is to cost NT$600, the Music tour NT$520 and the Film tour NT$680, with tickets available via Klook, the department said.
The celebrity tour guides on the buses would include drag queens Nine² Boo², Elja Heights (Ellery) and Queen, as well as Quarterback vocalist Ashan and P!sco guitarist Rachel, tourism officials said.
At the news conference, Queen said he had served three times before as a guide on Taipei's rainbow sightseeing bus tours, and it was joy each time.
She thanked the Taipei government for its vocal support of pride, and Taiwanese for their respect and kindness.
Department Deputy Commissioner Shiue Chiu-huo (薛秋火) said that the Taipei government has long been committed to making Taipei the most friendly and equitable city in Asia, by continuously promoting gender equality and inclusive policies.
The department would continue to work hard to make Pride tourism a signature brand of Taipei, giving domestic and international visitors a chance to experience the city's friendliness, inclusivity and diverse charm, he said.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS