The Taiwan International Travel Fair officially opened on August 29 — Japan’s autumn foliage tours are in high demand

▲ The Taiwan International Travel Fair is being held for three consecutive days starting August 29 at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1. (Photo / Provided by the public)

Reported by Chen Ruizhong / Taipei

The 2014 Taiwan International Travel Fair runs from today (August 29) to September 1 at Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1, featuring exhibitors including major travel agencies, tourism offices of various countries stationed in Taiwan, county and city governments, hotels and homestays, as well as food and souvenir vendors, totaling 500 booths.

On the opening day, the organizers offered 200 lucky bags, which included major prizes such as round-trip air tickets to Japan, among other items. In addition, popular travel destinations are offering special deals, including 4-day trips to Okinawa for NT$8,900, 3-day trips to Hong Kong for NT$7,999, and 4-day trips to South Korea for NT$6,999. For domestic travel, there are also discounts such as hot spring hotels and homestays at up to 70% off, and high-speed rail one-day tour packages. Organizers also noted that due to Thailand’s visa fee exemption, some operators are rolling out promotional offers for Thai travel to attract customers. Consumers planning to visit Thailand can compare deals.

Wu Fu Travel, one of the exhibitors, stated that this year’s product offerings are mainly designed to meet the needs of the public for autumn travel and long holiday getaways, featuringJapan’s autumn foliage, Jiangnan region in China, Zhangjiajie, and self-guided travel during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ten National Dayas key best-selling highlights. Other travel agencies also mentioned thatautumn foliage toursremain the most inquired-about routes so far. While the first morning of the fair did see strong foot traffic, the crucial "buying momentum" is expected to become clearer over the weekend.