Thousands of manga and anime fans yesterday braved the rain brought by Typhoon Doksuri as they eagerly converged on this year’s Comic Exhibition at the World Trade Center in Taipei on the first day of the event.
Holding umbrellas, fans began lining up well before the doors opened at 10am, taking up almost the entire sidewalk around the building.
By 9:30am, all 20 designated waiting areas around the building were packed with an estimated 10,000 fans, Chinese Animation and Comics Publishers Association (CACPA) secretary-general Roger Kao (高世椿) told the Central News Agency.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
This year’s show, the 22nd, features 125 exhibitors at 1,200 booths, CACPA head Kang Zhenmu (康振木) said.
As in previous years, the event also includes live music performances, with 42 Taiwanese and Japanese pop groups and artists scheduled to perform over the next five days, the organizers said.
Travis Japan from the well-known Japanese talent agency Jonny & Associates, Inc, performed at the opening ceremony of the exhibition.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
In addition, 13 Japanese anime voice actors, and 30 local and overseas manga artists and illustrators are scheduled to make appearances at the event and interact with fans.
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) at the opening ceremony said the turnout seemed set to be larger than at pre-COVID-19 pandemic exhibitions, which averaged an estimated 400,000 visitors per year.
This year’s Taipei International Comics and Animation Festival in January had about 400,000 attendees and created revenue of NT$100 million (US$3.2 million), Chiang said.
Judging from the turnout yesterday alone, Chiang said he was confident that the attendance at the five-day exhibition would top 500,000, which would hopefully generate revenue of more than NT$300 million.
The Comic Exhibition runs until Monday next week at Exhibition Hall 1 of the World Trade Center.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
SHIFT: Taiwan is evolving from a transit stop into a tourist destination, with more international travelers willing to spend on tours, dining and cultural activities Taiwan rose three places in the World Tourism Barometer to 36th globally in 2024, with international tourism revenue of US$10.028 billion, the Tourism Administration said on Monday. The UN Tourism Organization publication said that its focus has switched from whether a country has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels of tourism to the amount spent by a tourist during an overseas trip. The nation last year welcomed 8.57 million international tourists, about 9 percent more than in 2024, with most tourists coming from Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong and Macau, all of which accounted for at least 1 million tourists each. During the first
RSS