"Dream Factory of Flying" – Taitung Hot Air Balloon Pilots Soar Internationally

▲ The Taitung hot air balloon team flies beyond Taiwan and will participate in international balloon festivals next year. (Photo / Provided by Taitung County Government)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

The Taitung hot air balloon team returned triumphantly from participating in the Asian Advertising Annual Conference in Vietnam. On the afternoon of the 4th, the county government held a press conference in the county hall, where pilot Qiu Sheng-fu presented the hot air balloon flag to County Magistrate Huang Jian-ting on behalf of the team, symbolizing the successful completion of the mission. Organizers of internationally renowned hot air balloon festivals in the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Malaysia have already extended invitations to the Taitung County Government for next year. Taitung’s hot air balloons are set to soar onto the international stage.

Magistrate Huang Jian-ting stated that the Taitung County Government has trained seven qualified pilots, expanded the hot air balloon fleet, purchased eight balloons, and established a "Tourism Flight Enlightenment Base – Dream Factory of Flying" for all citizens.

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Taitung will also launch new passenger flights next March, and the carnival event will officially take place at the end of May.. To continue cultivating professional hot air balloon talent, the Taitung County Government has allocated a budget of NT$3 million to fully subsidize three to five up-and-coming balloonists to receive training in the United States in early 2014, obtaining both private and commercial hot air balloon licenses. Upon returning to Taiwan, they will acquire certification as hot air balloon pilots from the Civil Aeronautics Administration and join the Taitung hot air balloon team. (Related information has been published on the county government’s official website. Interested members of the public can sign up to participate. The registration deadline is December 10.)