Taiwan News  
Date: 2018/08/14
By: George Liao, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

(photo courtesy of Taitung County Government) (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News)—Buoyed by fair weather, the 2018 Taiwan International Balloon Festival in Taiwan’s eastern county of Taitung attracted a record number of 900,000 visitors in 45 days, according to a Central News Agency report.

The 45-day hot air balloon festival, which began on June 30, drew to an end after the finale light sculpture concert was held on the grassland of Lyue Highland on Monday night.

Taitung Tourism Bureau Director Chiang Hui-ching (江慧卿) said that this year’s hot air balloon activity has created multiple records, the report said. This year’s event attracted a total of 900,000 visitors, compared to just 480,000 visitors last year, breaking the attendance record of 2012 and becoming the most attended hot air balloon event since 2011, when the event was held for the first time. The event has brought in estimated revenues of NT$2 billion to local economy, according to the report.

Taitung County Magistrate Justin Huang ( 黃健庭) said this year saw 39 hot air balloons participating in the event and 24 of them rising from the ground on the opening day, both a record.    [FULL  STORY]