Taiwanese "foot massages" are all the rage with Japanese and Korean tourists. Last year, about 400,000 tourists received the treatment while visiting.
Hoping to turn Taiwan into a "health tourism" hot spot, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications Tourism Bureau plans to invite 1,000 masseurs and masseuses to serve 1,000 tourists at National Taiwan University's NTU Sports Center in late June or early July.
The bureau plans to apply to the Guinness Book of World Records for the event as it believes it can help increase Taiwan's international visibility.
Lee Chun-lin (李春霖), vice general manager of Bobby Travel Service Co (保保旅行社), said half of the 800,000 Japanese and Korean tourists who visited Taiwan last year received foot massages. The basic charge for a 30 minute session is about NT$700 (US$22). All told, they spent at least NT$280 million on the treatment.
Liu Hsi-lin (
Liu said that the NTU Sports Center in downtown Taipei is a perfect location for the event. The bureau had previously held two concerts by F4, a popular Taiwanese boy group, at the center to attract foreign fans to come last year. He said that the bureau would invite 1,000 practitioners from the Chinese Foot Reflexology Association (
Kuo Cheng-deng (郭正典), director of the Department of Medical Research and Education at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said a foot massage can activate parasympathetic nerves, helping people relax and release their pressure, which is the source of various diseases -- especially cardiovascular diseases.
But Kuo said that both poor management and licensing could hinder the business from further development. He encouraged the Cabinet's Department of Health to implement a licensing system.
Kuo also said that people should get over the notion of "no pain, no gain" when it comes to massage. He said that practitioners should not scare their customers away or cause them discomfort.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
RSS