Travel Expo / Surprise Appearance by "Idol" Lady Gaga at Summer Travel Expo

Reporter Zhu t?幔?ū北ǖ技/p>

The largest international travel expo of summer 2013, the "Taipei International Tourism Expo," has kicked off and will run from today until May 27 at the World Trade Center Hall 1. On the opening day, in addition to Vice President Wu Den-yih’s presence, an unexpectedly famous international superstar "idol" also made a guest appearance — none other than the dazzling goddess Lady Gaga, who had everyone’s camera flashes going off non-stop.

%杭词故抢?瘢?aga’s goddess charm and star presence were still as strong as ever. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ziying)

As the crowd surrounded Lady Gaga, she remained unmoved, holding the same pose for 20 minutes. It turned out that "she" wasn’t a real person, but a 1:1 scale wax figure representing the exhibitor, flown in all the way from Madame Tussauds Hong Kong. This year marks the first time Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, a must-visit attraction in Hong Kong, has participated in the Summer Travel Expo. General Manager Kelly Mak said that the Lady Gaga wax figure was created in December 2010. Although not the latest piece, it is arguably one of the museum’s most iconic "idols."

Making a wax figure is no easy task. Kelly explained that it takes six months to complete a single figure, though there have been instances where it took just four months — though those were truly grueling. The cost of producing one wax figure is at least HK$1.8 million (approximately NT$6.936 million). Kelly noted that this year, several new wax figures have been added, including those of the Queen of England, Prince William, and Kate Middleton. Visitor traffic in the first three months also increased by 3%, reaching about 490,000 to 510,000 people. This exhibition hopes to further boost the increase in Taiwanese visitor numbers.

%级派?蛉死?窆葑芫?砺笸矜胆右二) personally attended the opening press conference. (Photo / Reporter Chen Ziying)