Budget holiday plans have become the most popular Internet search keywords ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, with elegant meals also topping search lists as Valentine’s Day falls during the nine-day holiday, Internet portal Yahoo-Kimo Inc (雅虎奇摩) said.
From Jan. 1 to Jan. 31, budget domestic travel, low-cost New Year dishes and plastic surgery became the most popular items that Internet users searched for, Yahoo-Kimo said on Tuesday this week.
“More Internet users searched for information about local traffic and tourism this year as they have decided not to travel abroad during this year’s Lunar New Year holiday because of receiving lower year-end bonuses,” senior director of Yahoo-Kimo search marketing unit, Eponine Chen (陳婉怡), said.
Taichung’s Wuling Farm (武陵農場), which is famous for its widespread cherry trees and hot springs, were the two most popular keywords Internet users searched for regarding their travel plans this year, Yahoo-Kimo said.
Hyaluronic acid and skin whitening together ranked as the third most popular keywords with search volumes growing more than five-fold compared with a year earlier, the company said.
Search volumes for New Year dishes grew by 90 percent thanks to low-cost dishes that are available online and the option of home delivery. Compared with last year, sales of New Year dishes were estimated to have increased by 50 percent, Yahoo-Kimo said.
Other top search entries included the board games Monopoly and Mahjong, the traditional ritual of “pacify Taisui” (安太歲), Zihnan Temple (紫南宮) in Nantou County and Valentine’s Day-themed restaurants and chocolate.
Milk nougats, mullet roe and cubilose ranked as the three most popular presents bought for families or friends online for the holiday this year, Yahoo-Kimo said.
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