Hello Kitty Makes a Surprise Appearance in Korea & Bloggers Promote New Taipei’s Highlights

Photos & Text / New Taipei City Government Tourism Bureau

The New Taipei City Government has joined forces with EVA Air to boost tourism, offering generous incentives. In addition to hosting a selfie contest in Korea with attractive prizes, they have also pooled private sector resources to provide 5,000 New Taipei City self-guided travel packages, each containing over NT$10,000 worth of exclusive perks. Since increasing its flight frequency this January, EVA Air now operates 34 weekly flights to Korea, actively inviting Korean tourists to visit Taiwan.

▲ Deputy Secretary-General Song Ziqiang of the New Taipei City Government, Deputy Director Lin Chongzhi of the Tourism Bureau, and EVA Air spokesperson Ke Jincheng unveiled attractive travel packages at the promotional event in Korea, inviting Korean friends to experience the unique charm of New Taipei aboard the Hello Kitty Jet. (Photo / New Taipei City Government Tourism Bureau)

For three consecutive years, Korean tourists have shown the highest growth rate among all international visitors to Taiwan, reaching 650,000 last year alone—making them the fourth-largest visitor group—and are on track to surpass one million. To attract more Koreans to visit New Taipei City, the city government has collaborated with private partners and EVA Air to offer a 4-day, 3-night package starting at NT$10,000 (excluding tax).“Fly with the Hello Kitty Jet and Experience the Unique Charm of New Taipei!””This flight-and-hotel package includes a free travel gift bag for the first 5,000 buyers, featuring benefits such as Taiwan Big Tour sightseeing taxis, unlimited internet from Chunghwa Telecom, pineapple cakes, and entry to six museums and 15 tourist factories in New Taipei—totaling over NT$10,000 in value—allowing travelers to enjoy an affordable yet fulfilling trip.

This year marks the first time the New Taipei City Government and EVA Air have promoted tourism directly in Korea. Their Seoul event received strong support from various sectors, with the presence of Taiwan’s Representative to Korea Shi Ding-yu, Sanrio Asia Chairman Kawai Yoshifumi, and EVA Air’s Korean agency representative Baek Soon-sik. Over 200 popular Korean bloggers with high online followings were invited to share their experiences visiting New Taipei from May, showcasing the city’s diverse appeal from different perspectives. The New Taipei team went the extra mile when they learned that bloggers in Pingxi had failed to successfully release sky lanterns—they arranged to have lanterns flown to Korea so the bloggers could try again at the event, leaving them with a heartfelt impression of Taiwan’s warm hospitality.

▲ New Taipei visitors invited Korean friends to write down why they want to travel to New Taipei and upload their posts to Instagram for a chance to win a free 4-day, 3-night trip. (Photo / New Taipei City Government Tourism Bureau)

On the day, surprise guests Hello Kitty and Daniel made a lively appearance, dancing to upbeat music in adorable moves that drew gasps and excited photo-taking from attendees and media alike. Following the performance, VIPs jointly launched the project, marking the official start of the initiative expected to draw even more Korean tourists to New Taipei.

Recognizing Korea’s highly penetrative and fast-spreading social media networks, the New Taipei City Government and EVA Air have also leveraged popular online platforms to help more travelers discover the city’s diverse appeal.They launched the “I Want to Visit New Taipei City” campaignwhere participants must get creative, using persuasive writing and expressive gestures to explain why they want to visit New Taipei, then upload their photos to Instagram with the hashtags #ILoveNewTaipeiCity and #newtaipeitour. The most-liked post will win a free 4-day, 3-night EVA Air flight-and-hotel package, offering the winner an unforgettable trip to explore New Taipei.

▲ Korean bloggers write wishes on sky lanterns. (Photo / New Taipei City Government Tourism Bureau)
 

“I Want to Visit New Taipei City” Campaign
Step 1:Write down your reason for wanting to visit New Taipei City on a piece of white paper;
Step 2:Take a photo imitating the pose of a sign-holding character;
Step 3:Upload it to Instagram;
Step 4: with the hashtags #ILoveNewTaipeiCity and #newtaipeitour

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