Taipei International Travel Fair / Takeshi Kaneshiro Makes an Appearance and Serves Tea, Visitors Rush to Say "I See You"

▲ The scene of Takeshi Kaneshiro serving tea under a big tree has been recreated inside the travel fair, complete with a stone chair, drawing crowds eager to take photos; Taitung County Magistrate Huang Jian-ting also took a "joint photo" with Takeshi Kaneshiro. (Photo / Reporter Chen Zi-yin)

Reported by Chen Zi-yin / Taipei

The Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF) opened today (18th) in a grand fashion at the Taipei World Trade Center Halls 1 and 3. Over the course of the four-day exhibition, tourism-related businesses are all geared up to attract visitors, and even superstar idol Takeshi Kaneshiro has made a "cameo serving tea"!

Domestic airlines are capitalizing on the popularity of Takeshi Kaneshiro’s ad campaign by recreating the scene from the commercial where he serves tea under a big tree in Chishang, Taitung, inside the travel fair. The lifelike image of Kaneshiro “extending his hand” to serve tea and pose for photos has drawn huge crowds, with some female visitors exclaiming, “I touched Takeshi Kaneshiro’s hand!” In addition to the tea-serving setup, a large poster of Kaneshiro is equally popular.


▲ The handsome giant poster of Takeshi Kaneshiro also drew crowds of female fans eager to take photos. (Photo / Reporter Yu r*ru)

The fair also features a photo zone with the Hello Kitty livery plane that made its maiden flight on September 18, continuing Hello Kitty’s signature adorable vibe and keeping visitors snapping photos non-stop.

During the Taipei International Travel Fair, EVA Air is offering its EVA Holidays short-break package “Embrace Macau – Hug the Sheraton,” a two-day, one-night getaway starting from NT$8,185 (before tax) per person. There is also a special promotion for young professional women called “Lady Lady Travel Fun,” which includes a three-day, two-night Hong Kong wine and Michelin journey starting from NT$11,900 (before tax) per room, with a complimentary bottle of wine, a five-day, three-night Guam trip starting from NT$27,700 (including tax) plus a Hyatt Hotel afternoon tea and spa, and a two-night [unclear destination] deal starting from NT$19,000 (before tax) with a choice of six different spa treatments. During the exhibition period, anyone purchasing EVA Holidays products on-site can enter a lucky draw for accommodation vouchers and will receive exclusive limited-edition EVA Air gifts after the draw.

For group tours, Five Star Tours is promoting “Endless Goodies at the Travel Fair,” offering stylish tote bags for overseas tour bookings, with chances to win travel cash prizes up to NT$10,000 for larger purchases. Additional gifts are available when paying by bank card, all exclusively at the travel fair. There is also a promotion offering up to NT$10,000 off the second person for overseas tours.