The biggest summer travel fair kicks off next month – Save up to NT$10,000 on accommodation!

▲ The biggest summer travel fair, the “2014 Taipei International Travel Fair,” kicks off next month, the largest in scale to date, featuring a total of 1,200 booths. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ziying)

Reported by Chen Ziying / Taipei

The biggest summer travel fair, the “2014 Taipei International Travel Fair,” will be held from May 23 to 26 at Hall 1 of the Taipei World Trade Center. It will feature domestic travel agencies, overseas tourism bureaus in Taiwan, airlines, five-star hotels, and more. This year’s deals include accommodation discounts as low as 42% off (with savings of up to NT$10,000) and hotel meal vouchers at 31% off. Xu [name obscured] from the Taipei Travel Agents Association said that the scale of this year’s event has once again expanded, with 500 exhibitors and a total of 1,200 booths. Among them, the Council of Hakka Affairs, participating for the first time, has taken up 30 booths—the most of any exhibitor.

Huang Lüwan, specialist at the Industrial Economy Division of the Council of Hakka Affairs, said that over the past two years, the council has provided guidance to help tea-related businesses in the Taoyuan-Zhubei-Miaoli area along Taiwan’s Provincial Highway 3, including tea plantations, tea restaurants, and tea-themed homestays. The aim is to integrate the industry with tourism. Twelve such businesses have been invited to participate in this travel fair to promote a Hakka “tea” cultural light travel experience, allowing visitors to explore Hakka regions and sample Oriental Beauty Tea, Lei Tea, and Sour Tangerine Tea.


▲ The summer travel fair invites domestic travel agencies, overseas tourism bureaus in Taiwan, airlines, five-star hotels, and more. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ziying)

In terms of hotels, the Grand Hyatt Taipei is participating for the first time and is offering a “Discover Taipei – Weekend Local Stay Promotion.” The original price for a double room is NT$18,400, but during the fair, the price is NT$7,854 per night—a 42% discount. The deal also includes two tickets to the Taipei 101 Observatory and access to fitness center classes such as yoga. Li Zhu [name obscured], deputy manager of the marketing and PR department at the Grand Hyatt Taipei, recommended the hotel’s buffet restaurant, Pretty Chinese Restaurant. The original price for a four-person set meal voucher is NT$5,700, but during the fair it’s available at 31% off for just NT$3,960. The Ziga Zaga Italian luxury seafood and meat combo voucher is also 25% off.

The Okura Prestige Taipei, also participating for the first time, is offering a Continental Room European-style buffet afternoon tea voucher. Chen Youzhen, PR manager of the Okura Prestige Taipei’s marketing and sales department, said that the popular afternoon tea voucher, previously limited to 200 sets per day, is originally priced at NT$2,600 but is available at the fair for NT$3,432—a 25% discount. The Beitou-based L’Hotel-Riche, the area’s only five-star hot spring hotel, is also offering its final round of discounted vouchers before a price increase.

The Macao Government Tourism Office is promoting an “Incentive Travel” program. Businesses, students, and wedding groups can receive up to approximately NT$1,000 in travel subsidies per person. Visitors who purchase on-site will also receive the “Experience Macao” travel guidebook and the “Experience Macao Food, Fun & Discounts” coupon book, which together offer discounts totaling over NT$2,000.