The Taipei Department of Information and Tourism yesterday inaugurated the city’s first-ever luxury double-decker restaurant bus at City Hall Square ahead of entertaining fine-dining enthusiasts from Tuesday next week.
Starting yesterday, people could book tables for the 26-seater’s daily afternoon tea service and twice-daily dinner service, with those hopping on the bus treated to dishes prepared in the lower-deck kitchen by the Regent Taipei (台北晶華酒店).
A round trip is to take about 90 minutes for afternoon tea and two hours for dinner, said Eric Hsu (徐偉朝), chief operating officer of Sanjin Integrated Marketing Co (三晉整合營銷), the main operator of the bus service.
Photo: Liao Cheng-hui, Taipei Times
At the inauguration ceremony, Taipei Deputy Mayor Tsai Ping-kun (蔡炳坤) said that the restaurant bus would take patrons on a tour of the city’s landmarks and renowned sights while enjoying a quality meal.
“We want to promote the city as an open museum with the whole city ready for patrons to explore,” Tsai said. “So, we are happy that Taiwan’s first double-decker restaurant bus is set to hit the road.”
The service, which begins and ends at the Taipei City Hall MRT Station on Tuesday to Sunday, is to cruise past many of the city’s landmarks, such as National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Taipei 101, Hsu said.
The idea for the service came from a survey conducted overseas two years ago, which found that cities such as Tokyo, Bangkok, London and Hong Kong had similar restaurant buses, he said.
“We learned from these surveys that they have had this type of bus for many years, and we wanted to bring the experience to Taipei,” Hsu added.
Although the tourism industry over the past two years has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan’s situation is relatively stable, Tsai said, adding that the time is right to launch the bus-based fine-dining experience.
“If the global pandemic is controlled and restrictions on travel can be eased, allowing international tourists to visit Taiwan, we estimate that after six months, the service would benefit the whole tourism industry in Taipei,” Tsai said.
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