Taiwan is now the No. 1 choice for Christmas holiday trips among Japanese, according to Hankyu Travel International’s Web site.
The company, one of the top three Japanese international travel agencies, on Tuesday last week published a poll on Christmas travel choices.
Taiwan led the list of the top five nations, followed by Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy, the company said.
Photo: AP / TVBS
New Taipei City’s Christmas Land in Banciao District (板橋), was mentioned, with Hankyu calling the brightly lit decorations around New Taipei City Hall and light show “the most renowned Christmas event in Taiwan.”
Tourism Bureau Tokyo Office Director Cheng Yi-ping (鄭憶萍) said the bureau estimates that as many as 2 million Japanese tourists will have visited Taiwan this year, adding that many Japanese agencies are offering travel packages specifically for Christmas and New Year celebrations.
Hankyu has received bookings from more than 10,000 Japanese who intend to visit Taiwan this month, Cheng said, adding that 1,100 are scheduled to visit Banciao to see Christmas Land.
Chen Ching-fang (陳靜芳), an official of the New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department, said the department has worked with the Tourism Bureau to arrange tours to promote the city, and regularly updates its tourist information.
The Christmas Land package that Hankyu is offering was a referral from Taiwanese agencies, she said.
The department has invited famous Internet bloggers from several nations to visit New Taipei City’s tourist spots and publish reviews or photographs, Chen said.
Christmas Land was cited in the September edition of the Chikyu-no-Arukikata (Globe-Trotter Traveler’s guidebook), along with other sites, Chen said.
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