More than 4,000 fans of the boy band Fahrenheit (飛輪海) gathered at the National Taiwan University auditorium yesterday afternoon to meet their idols in a concert that aimed to promote the tourism industry.
Although the event was scheduled to begin at 3pm, eager fans began lining up outside the auditorium in the morning to secure good spots.
Some fans were chosen to play games with their idols on stage and received prizes, including a three-day trip around Taiwan. Each fan also received a poster, an Easycard and a glowing fan featuring a group photo of Fahrenheit.
PHOTO: CNA
Wayne Liu (劉喜臨), director of the Tourism Bureau’s international affairs division, said Fahrenheit were the nation’s tourism ambassadors in Japan and South Korea this year, replacing their predecessor, boyband F4. He said that while F4 had been effective in generating interest among female fans in their late 30s and early 40s, Fahrenheit appeared to be the favorite among people in the 18-to-25 age group.
The event will be broadcast through Azio TV’s Asia network and the Internet service IM.TV, he said.
Aside from Japan and South Korea, the band also drew fans from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.
Statistics from the bureau showed that about 1.08 million Japanese tourists visited Taiwan last year, down 6.83 percent from 2007. Overall, approximately 16 million Japanese traveled abroad last year, a decrease of 7.6 percent from 2007.
While the value of the South Korean won dropped drastically last year, more than 250,000 South Koreans visited Taiwan, a growth of 11.71 percent from the previous year.
In related news, 1,310 diamond-class sales managers from Japan’s Daihatsu Motor will be arriving this week on a four-day tour offered by the company for top employees.
The bureau said this was the third time the company had organized the tour. Good food and friendliness toward Japanese were two of the main reasons why Taiwan was selected as the destination for the tour, the bureau said. While some arrived yesterday, the rest were scheduled to arrive at different times between now and next Tuesday.
The Daihatsu tour was preceded by one organized by the Japanese cosmetic firm POLA, which rewarded 1,300 sales representatives with a free trip to Taiwan last week.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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