The Greater Tainan International Travel Fair – William Lai: Welcome to Grab Great Deals and Enjoy Discounts

▲2016 Greater Tainan International Travel Fair – Tainan Mayor William Lai invites citizens to come for great deals and discounts. (Photo / Provided by the city government)

Reported by Lin Yue / Tainan City

The 5th Greater Tainan International Travel Fair 2016 kicked off on the 2nd and will run for four consecutive days until December 5 at the Tainan Nanhua World Trade Exhibition Center. A total of 300 booths from both domestic and international operators have been recruited. Mayor William Lai attended the opening ceremony in the afternoon and welcomed citizens to seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grab great deals, enter lucky draws, and enjoy high-quality, affordable travel products.

William Lai stated that this year marks the fifth edition of the Greater Tainan International Travel Fair. He expressed gratitude to the team led by Su Rongyao, Chairman of the Tainan City Travel Agents Association, and noted that over the past five years, the event has achieved tangible results—not only has the turnout increased, but business performance has also grown rapidly. The purpose of hosting the travel fair is to achieve three main goals: first, to boost the sales performance of participating companies; second, to provide citizens with pleasant and value-for-money travel experiences both domestically and abroad; and third, as exhibitors this year come from various countries including Japan, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, and Macau—with ten Japanese exhibitors present, many from cities that have long-standing friendly ties with Tainan—citizens are encouraged to act as tourism ambassadors. After visiting these cities, they can help promote Tainan through interaction, thereby encouraging people from those countries to visit Tainan and further boost the city’s tourism development.

In addition to dedicated areas set up by the Tainan City Government, the Kaohsiung City Government, and the Yunlin-Tainan-Chiayi Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this year’s fair also features participation from the most representative tourism operators across Taiwan, as well as exhibitors from Thailand, Japan, Mainland China (including Hong Kong and Macau), and South Korea, offering a wealth of in-depth and curated travel information and products from around the world. Moreover, with the recent launch of the direct “Tainan–Ho Chi Minh City” flight route—now the third international scheduled service from Tainan Airport after Hong Kong and Osaka—the Tourism Bureau has specially invited Vietjet Air to participate, providing discounted flight tickets and other exciting lucky draw prizes.

The revitalized Lintian Department Store has become a new landmark in Tainan, having won the Asian Most Influential Design Award for two consecutive years. On the 3rd, it will also celebrate its 85th birthday. The Tainan Pavilion takes inspiration from this historically and culturally rich building, and also showcases exclusive Lintian Department Store merchandise to give visitors a deeper understanding of this historic department store. In addition, Taiwan Tour Bus has specially launched two packages: “A Leisurely Stroll Through Tainan’s Salt Fields – A Happy 999 Day Tour” and “Chimei Museum & Tainan Gourmet Delights – A Culinary Happiness Day Tour.” For the first time, they are offering a “Taiwan Tour Bus + High-Speed Rail Travel Passport” deal: buy 4, get 2 free (minimum 4 people, 2 free). Passengers holding the Taiwan Tour Bus passport also receive an 20% discount on high-speed rail tickets, attracting many visitors looking for great bargains.