The Taipei International Flora Expo will welcome its 2 millionth visitor today, and will give out prizes including free plane tickets and free admissions to the expo.
The expo, the largest international event ever held in Taipei, had attracted more than 1,980,000 visitors by yesterday. Organizers expect the number of visitors to reach 2 million today.
To welcome the 2 millionth visitor, expected to show up this morning, Ting said the expo has prepared various prizes, including plane tickets each worth NT$40,000, free expo tickets and expo souvenirs. The first 1,000 visitors to the expo today are eligible to win the prizes, according to general director of the expo Ting Hsi-yung (丁錫鏞).
Ting said the total number of visitors should reach 8 million by the end of the six-month long event that will run until April 25.
In response to some complaints about difficulties in obtaining refunds for expo tickets, Ting apologized for any misunderstanding. He said visitors can return tickets at the expo ticket booth at Yuanshan Park within seven days of the purchase date.
Regarding the planned visit by China’s Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) to the event on Monday, Ting promised that the expo would keep to its original schedule and protect visitors’ rights during his visit.
Chen, due to arrive Taipei on Monday for the sixth round of cross-strait talks, is expected to visit the expo for about 30 minutes before it opens to the public at 9am.
The flora expo, which is open daily from 9am to 10pm, has been attracting more than 40,000 visitors per day.
Security agencies had suggested that the organizers close the expo and exhibition halls to the public during Chen’s visit due to safety concerns.
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