Queues start at 3 AM！Over 3,000 ride Taitung’s hot air balloons in first week

Text / Compiled and reported by Li Xinyi, MOOK Travel Life Network

The 2012 Taiwan Hot Air Balloon Festival was held at Luye Gaotai in Taitung. As of July 8, more than 40,000 visitors had come, and over 3,000 people had experienced tethered hot air balloon rides, with almost every session fully booked. Many arrived at the venue as early as 3 AM, and some even stayed overnight at the event site, making it the hottest activity of this summer vacation.

Taitung County’s first hot air balloon festival last year attracted at least 350,000 tourists to the area, generating over NT$500 million in business, setting a record for the highest number of visitors for a single event in Taitung’s history. This year’s event is even larger — not only has the number of balloons and tethered ride balloons doubled, but 21 balloons from 13 countries including the US, Canada, Switzerland, France, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia have been invited. Additionally, Taitung County Government purchased the domestically numbered No. 1 and No. 2 Orchid Hot Air Balloons. According to county government statistics, as of the 8th, there were 16 tethered ride sessions opened. Except for the afternoons of the 5th and 7th when flights were canceled due to bad weather, a total of 3,054 people took rides, bringing in over NT$1.5 million in revenue for the county, with the highest attendance being 302 people during the morning session on July 5.

This year’s festival runs for 65 days, ending on September 2. In addition to free-flight hot air balloon shows and tethered ride experiences, there are daily balloon exhibitions, Taitung specialty product displays, souvenir sales, and outdoor experience areas. Moreover, from Monday to Wednesday, there are kite performances, while Thursday to Sunday feature paragliding shows and grassland concerts. For transportation, besides taking the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle bus, this year taxi-sharing services are available at train stations such as Taitung, Luye, Guanshan, Chihshang, and at the airport and Taitung City Tourist Service Center, with the service running from now until September 2.

● Read more: 123 Indigenous Harvest Festivals to be held in Taitung throughout July

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