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Belgian visitor receives special welcome at Taipei 101

Belgian tourist Christiana Raman holds up an “I Love Taiwan” T-shirt that she recevied during a visit to Taipei 101 on Wednesday. PHOTO COURTESY OF TAIPEI 101

Christiana Raman of Belgium got a big surprise when she was given a special welcome on Wednesday at the world’s tallest completed building, Taipei 101, to celebrate her arrival in Taiwan, the 100th country that she has visited.

Without her knowledge, the Tourism Bureau and her travel agency had arranged a special welcome party for her as she was strolling around the skyscraper’s observatory, which offers 360-­degree views of the capital and surrounding area.

The 77-year-old Belgian was surprised as she was surrounded by television cameras and school children chanting “Welcome to Taiwan.”

AT A LOSS

She was at a loss and asked the tour guide in her mother tongue about the party that was held for her at the tower. When it was explained to her, she said she was overwhelmed by Taiwan’s hospitality.

Raman later said that she had picked Taiwan as her 100th overseas travel destination because of its cultural diversity and beautiful scenery.

Asked which Taiwanese dishes she liked most, she immediately said “seafood.”

The tour guide said Belgians were usually very curious about Taiwanese culture. Raman’s tour group will visit various temples, historic monuments and indigenous tribal settlements, as well as popular tourist attractions like the National Palace Museum, Sun Moon Lake and Taroko Gorge during its 12-day stay.

EUROPEAN VISITORS

Statistics released by the Tourism Bureau show that the number of European tourists to Taiwan has been rising significantly over the past five years.

In the first eight months of this year, Europeans made more than 129,000 visits to Taiwan, with tourists making more than 37,800 visits, the statistics showed.

The figure marked 23.84 percent growth year on year, a Tourism Bureau official said, adding that Britons made up the largest group of European visitors to Taiwan.
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