Article by Jazmin Justo
Photo credit Thanaporn Koowathana
In the midst of bustling people, flashing cameras, and huge bags, everyone was eagerly traveling to from one country to the next, searching for the next travel hotspot and special offers. At the NY Travel Show, where thousands of companies come together to promote their new products and special packages, there is a great variety to choose from. Separated by regions, people can easily travel from a booth in Europe to a booth from Latin America in search for the right price and getaway package. From luxury cruises to nature tours, every booth displays its country’s natural beauty, rich culture, and popular tourist attractions with very tempting prices.
I traveled to the Asian region of the fair, where Taiwan held a press conference and made a large impression. With a large colorful booth, dancers and national mascot, Taiwan Tourism Bureau hosted with a few partners such as China Airlines, Eva Airways, Sita Tours, and Champion Holidays to promote their new travel deals, tourism specials, and gave a brief demonstration of its fascinating culture.
Mr. Thomas Chang, director of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau in New York, gave a warm welcome to the press and introduced this year’s Taiwan’s new tourism attractions to bring out the beauty and culture of Taiwan. Mr. Paul Wen-Liang Chang, Ambassador Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, also attended the press conference.
Mr. Joe Chiu, General Manager of China Airlines, participated the travel show to promote the NextGen777 Seats Display, which will be featured in the new Premium Business class cabins starting Feb 26, 2015. Created with persimmon wood accents, decorated with a cloud patterns in blue, and made of ergonomic memory foam cushion, the seats are able to recline 180 changing into a comfortable and relaxing flatbed. Included with the flatbeds are 18’’ Personal Entertainment Touch screen panel, a desk, a table lamp, an arm rest which levels with the full-flat bed, a multi-function access cabinet including a power outlet, 2 USB ports, 4.1” Touch screen remote control, and a noise cancelling headphone socket. There is also a bonus “Seat Chat”, a new feature in their entertainment system that allows passengers to share movies, messaging, music, and pictures with other passengers. China Airlines gave a live demonstration of new seat and in celebration of the new year, the company also gave out red envelopes with a special surprise and free raffle tickets so everyone can get a chance to try out the new Premium Business class feature.
EVA Airways, known for its priorities in quality service, comfort, and safety, also made an appearance with their new popular Hello Kitty Jet. Being Taiwan’s first privately owned international airline, the company has grown broader with is extended network of 1,300 destinations in 193 countries with its sister company Evergreen Line. Also known as the Gold Winner of Travel’s Weekly 2011 Magellan Award, EVA Air is now featuring three different A330 Hello Kitty Jets and two different A330-200 Hello Kitty Jets with different outside designs. Plus the jets will be making destinations from Taiwan to major popular cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Sapporo, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Fukuoka, Warsaw, Guam, Macau, Paris, London, and many others. The jets will include an extensive line of new Hello Kitty products such as Hello Kitty Hand in Hand Organic lipstick, postcards, tableware, multi-function denim bag, and seasonally themed main courses and appetizers. With deals starting at around $4,531, EVA Air ensures to make the flight experience comfortable, fun, and safe for its young passengers.
Shiny Tea, a popular bubble tea company in Taiwan, was at the center of the Taiwan booth. They gave free samples of the new bubble tea flavors to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year. The White Pearl Milk Tea was mixed with Taiwanese Style milk tea with mini white pearls and black pearls. The bubble tea tasted like soymilk with black tea and the taro was chewy with a soft sweetness, making it an interesting mix of flavors. As a bonus, the company also gave out free coupons and promotions for their Flushing Queens location.
The bureau also gave out sightseeing maps focusing on different regions of Taiwan with detailed information of popular sightseeing areas, information centers, and transportation routes. They also gave out ecotourism guides featuring its popular national parks such as Yangmingshan National park, Taroko National Park and Dongsha Atoll National Park, to name a few. It also lists popular seasonal activities such as windsurfing, canoeing, bird watching, rock climbing, diving and surfing in different regions. Plus it gives highlights on seasonal festivals and other useful information for anyone who wishes to explore the natural beauty of Taiwan.
Taiwan Tourist Map is an excellent guide in listing popular attractions in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. It includes a list of hotel information, popular markets, transportation, and shopping centers plus a large map with all the necessary landmarks. For the ordinary tourist, the map is very useful if only visiting the city. For those who want to visit different regions, there are regional guides which includes a large map with important landmarks and transportation routes and includes a description of popular sightseeing attractions with directions, such as museums, national parks, aquariums, hot springs, etc. The Southern Taiwan guide includes cities Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung. Central Taiwan guide includes cities Miapi , Taichung, Changhua, Nantou, and Yunlin. Northern Taiwan guide includes cities Yilan, Keelung, Taipei, New Taipei, Taoyuan, and Hsinnchu. Eastern Taiwan and Offshore Islands guide includes Hualien, Taitung, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu.
Taste of Taiwan is a culinary tourist experience hosted by the bureau to engage tourists in the culinary art of Taiwanese cuisine. Tourists would be given a chance to visit seven locations across the country so they can engage in sightseeing of Taiwan and be able to taste both the regional and popular Taiwanese cuisine. As a bonus, Taiwan: The Heart of Asia, is offering its visitors a travel package sample of a 3 day/2 night stay at a 5-star hotel at $100 USD, which includes room service, vouchers, transportation, etc. There is also a Gastronomic Journey in Taiwan, a restaurant guide to all the popular restaurants that serve both traditional or modernized dishes of the popular Taiwanese cuisine including information of the history behind each establishment, its food specialties and a map with directions to each establishment.
For those who love to cycle, the bureau is also promoting its new cycling pathways created by LOHAS travel, to explore Taiwan without using public transportation. The bikeways are located at Hualien, Taitung, Pingtung, and Nantou with descriptions of the area and the history behind each bike lane. Also the diverse terrain of Taiwan makes the cycling experience enjoyable with its coastlines, lakes, and natural beauty. There is also a special feature of the Taiwan railway systems that are rich with history and have beautiful architecture with a Japanese influenced style trains. Some railways date back to the 1920’s such as the Jingtong station while there are luxury cruise trains that give a tour at various stations.
With giveaways and extensive promotions, the Taiwan booth outdid itself in both presentation and information, so for anyone plans to visit Taiwan should definitely take advantage of its special tourism deals and indulge in Taiwan’s beautiful nature and culture.
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