The Taipei 101 skyscraper is to set off about 16,000 fireworks over five minutes during its annual New Year’s display, organizers said yesterday.
This year’s pyrotechnics production is designed under the theme “Colorful World,” and is to feature creations from a century-old Japanese company alongside Taiwan-made fireworks, Taipei 101 chairman Chang Hsueh-shun (張學舜) told a news conference in Taipei.
Taipei 101 said it expects the number of spectators at the annual countdown party to return to pre-COVID-19 levels, with about 1 million people likely to attend.
Photo: Yang Ya-min, Taipei Times
The fireworks, which cost about NT$20 million (US$634,739), are sponsored by the Executive Yuan, the Tourism Bureau, the Taiwan Stock Exchange and Chunghwa Telecom, Chang said.
The annual display is not only a cherished tradition for many Taiwanese, but also an unmissable moment for international media after the Sydney display in Australia, Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦) said.
It is also the first time since 2004 that the organizers are working with a Japanese company, demonstrating the friendship between the two countries, he added.
Saying that the government’s goal of welcoming 6 million tourists this year should be achieved within days, Cheng vowed to keep promoting diverse and in-depth tourism opportunities for travelers to spend more time getting to know Taiwan.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19