A short film produced by the Tourism Bureau and Sony Taiwan that aims to attract international tourists to Hualien and Taitung counties premiered in Taipei yesterday.
The film was released as part of the government’s intensive effort to boost Hualien County’s tourism industry, which suffered a sharp drop in visitor numbers after the county was struck by a magnitude 6.0 earthquake last month.
East of Taiwan captures high-definition images of some popular tourist attractions, including white-water rafting and hot air balloons, as well as natural scenery.
Photo: Yang Mien-chieh, Taipei Times
The film features three groups of tourists, the first consisting of backpackers from North America and Europe who experience the daily lives of Aborigines.
The second group is a family from Japan, who traveled to the east coast because the father wanted to show his wife and children the places where his grandfather used to live.
The family said that the scenery in the eastern Taiwan is similar to that in Japan.
The third set of travelers are two young South Korean women who are so drawn by the mountains, seas, food and other tourist attractions on the east coast that they consider moving there.
The film aims to attract tourists from various nations with different travel routes and tourist attractions unique to the east coast, East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Administration director Lin Wei-ling (林維玲) said, adding that the film’s background music combines Aboriginal songs with modern rhythms.
The actors talk about their impressions of Hualien and Taitung, Lin said, adding that she hopes that the images and sounds would motivate people to come and visit.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), who represents Hualien, said that even though the bureau is providing short-term subsidies to people who visit Hualien before summer, boosting tourism requires long-term solutions, such as arranging charter flights so tourists can fly directly to the city.
Tourists can spend the nights in the city and discover the beauty of the county, Hsiao added.
Starting on Saturday, the film is to be available on YouTube, the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Administration’s Facebook page and Instagram, the bureau said.
Sony Taiwan also made a one-minute commercial for the film, which can be viewed on the agency’s page, Sony Taiwan retail stores and on YouTube.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS