Travel and Tourism

MSC Bellissima sets record for largest cruise ship to dock at the Port of Keelung

MSC Bellissima at the Port of Keelung
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The largest cruise ship to ever dock at the Port of Keelung sailed into the harbor today, May 4, bringing more than 4,600 visitors to the harbor city and Taiwan’s capital, Taipei. The MSC Bellissima sailed into the harbor at around 6:00 am, and was greeted by tugboats with a water salute. The 315-meter-long ship is operated by MSC Cruises, and has 19 decks, 2,217 cabins, 18 elevators, and three swimming pools. There are 1,564 personnel on board to serve

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Tourism operators disappointed after luxury cruise ship cancels east coast port of call due to bad weather

Cruise ship Seven Seas Mariner passes by the Port of Hualien
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A cruise ship carrying 500 passengers sailed past the port of Hualien, and will sail directly to Keelung Harbor, after the captain of the vessel decided that high winds and swells made it unsafe to enter the port. The Seven Seas Mariner was scheduled to dock at the Port of Hualien at 7:00 am today, March 13. However, sustained winds of level 6 to 7 on the Beaufort Scale, gusts up to Beaufort-scale 10, and swells of 3 to 4

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HSR, TRA to reduce train services during epidemic alert period as passenger numbers plummet

TRA EMU 900 train
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Taiwan’s High Speed Rail passenger numbers are down more than 71%, and Taiwan Railways passenger demand is down more than 65% as the nation goes into Level 3 epidemic alert, and train services will be reduced in response, HSR announced yesterday, and TRA announced today, May 19. HSR said that it would run 171 fewer services per week from May 21 to June 10, after daily passenger volume fell 71.08% over the daily average for March this year. TRA passenger

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Taiwan, Palau close to opening travel bubble MOFA and CDC confirm

Palau
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), and the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) have confirmed that tourism travel will soon be possible between Palau and Taiwan. Various media outlets are quoting tourism industry sources saying that President Surangel Whipps Jr will visit Taiwan to make the announcement March 15. MOFA confirmed today, March 7 that it welcomes the President of Palau to visit Taiwan after the launch of the “safe travel circle,” but refused to confirm date for the visit.

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Train narrowly misses being buried by landslide: services suspended between Taipei and Yilan

train stopped ahead of major landslide
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment ,

Two trains were stopped either side of an area being monitored by railway personnel shortly before a slope collapsed onto the railway tracks this morning, December 4. The location between Ruifang and Huotong Stations on the East Trunk Line was being monitored after a minor landslide on November 30 caused Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) to reduce two way traffic to one line. Two line traffic was restored yesterday, December 3. According to reports in United Daily News at around 8:30

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Chiayi City rolls out retro-style electric buses

electric bus fleet in Chiayi City
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

A fleet of new retro-British-style electric buses was unveiled in Chiayi City today, with four colors to ply four routes starting in June this year. “It’s really amazing,” Chiayi City Mayor Huang Min-hui gushed, adding that the buses were a form of mobile art that will enhance urban aesthetics. The fleet consists of 10 regular buses and 12 minibuses colored in red, yellow green and blue. The green buses will begin plying the Zhongshan line in June, with the rest

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One dead, one injured after paragliding accident in Hualien County

Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A paragliding coach died, and a passenger was injured, after snagging power lines and falling around 20 meters to the ground in Wanrong Township, Hualien County this morning, February 10. Shortly after 8:00am, 57-year-old paragliding operator Wang Tian-ming (王田明) launched a tandem flight with a 25-year-old male Chinese tourist named Tao (陶) in what are described in media reports as windy and foggy conditions. Shortly before 8:30am, the paraglider canopy snagged high-voltage power lines around 30 meters above a betel

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One dead, nine injured after car plows into Taiwan tour group in Shanghai

Travel and Tourism 
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One man died, and nine people were injured, one critically, after a driver lost control of his car and plowed into a group of Taiwanese tourists on a sidewalk in Shanghai, today, February 3. According to reports in United Daily News and SETN, a group consisting of 31 people on the second day of an eight-day tour of China were walking on Taikang Road at around 9:00am, on their way to a popular tourist site, when a BMW sedan mounted

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Ill-Fated Taiwan Tour Group Pawns in a United Front Propaganda Game

MOFA spokesman Andrew Lee
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs today denied that Chinese embassy officials had gone to the assistance of a group of Taiwanese tourists after one was killed in a hippo attack, and 16 were injured in a bus accident. The Chinese embassy in Kenya had offered to help, but the offer was declined, MOFA said. On Saturday, August 11, Chang Ming Chuang, 66, died after being attacked by a hippopotamus at the Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort. Chang was rushed to hospital

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Police Prepare Riot Shields as Disgruntled Cruise Ship Passengers Disembark at Keelung

police with riot shields at the Port of Keelung
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A large contingent of police armed with riot shields gathered at the cruise terminal at the Port of Keelung last night, as the Star Cruises vessel SuperStar Virgo arrived after a voyage that saw passengers occupy the casino in a collective protest over changes to the itinerary. On July 1, passengers embarked on a 6 day, 5 night cruise scheduled to take them to the cities of Naha and Osaka. However, the path of Typhoon Prapiroon led to the crew

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