Fly a hot air balloon in Taitung and sample local gourmet meals

▲ This year, Taitung County has invited 25 local businesses to offer “Soaring Skies, Farming Taitung” hot air balloon gourmet meals, encouraging visitors to savor local delicacies while enjoying the balloon festival. (Photo provided by Taitung County Government)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

The Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon Festival will officially begin on June 1st in Luye, Taitung. This year, the Taitung County Government has invited 25 businesses to present the “Soaring Skies, Farming Taitung” hot air balloon gourmet cuisine, aiming to let visitors enjoy both the balloon event and local Taitung flavors.

According to the county’s Agriculture Department, the gourmet meals are divided into three routes: Hakka-style meals along the Longitudinal Valley route, seafood dishes along the Coastal route, and Aboriginal cuisine along the South Link route—all made with carefully selected healthy, natural ingredients from Taitung such as pineapples, free-range chicken, swordfish, dolphinfish, roselle, and daylilies—allowing visitors to enjoy the area’s unique culinary offerings.

Meal options include table service at NT$2,500 (for 10 people), NT$1,500 (for 4–6 people), and NT$250 for a simple meal (for 1 person). The promotion runs from June 1st to August 31st. Travelers can pick up gourmet meal brochures at visitor service centers in Luye Gaotai, Huadong Village, Taitung New Station, Fongnian Airport, and the ground floor service desk of the county government office. Meal information is also available on the county government website, as well as the official sites of the Tourism and Travel Bureau and the Agriculture Department.

This year’s Taitung Hot Air Balloon Festival will run from June 1st to August 11th, heating up the skies. Last year (2012), the event attracted around 880,000 visitors, sparking a nationwide trend with many cities and counties following suit. Taitung County Magistrate Huang Jian-ting stated that with Taiwan’s first-ever passenger free-flight experience and related events this year, the festival aims to attract up to 1 million visitors.