The nation’s largest-ever travel fair is set to begin on Nov. 11, boasting a record-high 1,500 exhibition booths, fair organizers said yesterday.
Now in its 25th year, this year’s fair will consist of 850 organizations from 61 countries, increasing the number of exhibition booths by 25 percent compared with last year’s event, the Taiwan Visitors Association said.
In addition, the four-day fair will for the first time be expanded from one exhibition hall to two halls to accommodate the exhibitors and the expected crowds, the association said.
Photo: CNA
The Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1 will include booths from local and foreign travel agencies and bureaus, as well as theme parks and tourist destinations, while Hall 3 will feature hotels, guest houses and hot springs throughout the country, the association said.
“The local tourism industry has been performing well recently despite the weak global economy,” said Chou Ching-Shyong (周慶雄), chairman of the association. “We are expecting at least 230,000 visitors to the fair this year.”
Among the participating countries, Japan tops the list with 100 booths, which shows there are significant signs of recovery in the country’s tourism after the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern Honshu, Chou added .
“Travel to Japan looks so hot for this coming quarter that we don’t even need to launch special deals to attract customers,” said Nelson Chou (周化宇), a spokesperson for Lion Group (雄獅旅行社), which operates one of the country’s biggest travel agencies.
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