Travel and Tourism

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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Alishan Forest Railway to Resume Service Tomorrow

Alishan Forest Railway train
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 4 Comments ,

Taiwan Railways Administration(TRA) Alishan Forest Railway Management Office announced today that normal services on the Alishan Railway would resume tomorrow, June 27, after improvements to the track and rolling stock have been completed. Services were suspended on the mountain line March 12, after a series of four derailment accidents in January and February this year. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications Railway Bureau conducted preliminary inspections on June 14, and the improvement program was completed June 25. Trial operations began

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Vietjet Air Launches Direct Flights between Taichung and Hanoi

Vietjet Air Taiwan
Aviation Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

From June 22, Vietjet Air will offer direct flights between Taichung and Hanoi 5 times per week, the company announced today. The new route is designed to meet increasing demand from travelers, and promote trade and regional integration, the company said. Flights will operate daily except Tuesdays and Thursdays, departing Taichung at 5.30pm and arriving in Hanoi at 7:20pm. Flights from Hanoi will depart at 1:00pm and arrive in Taichung at 4:30pm. The Hanoi-Taichung route is the 7th route between

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Norwegian Jewel brings 2,248 Visitors to Kaohsiung

cruise ship Norwegian Jewel
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

The cruise ship Norwegian Jewel berthed at the Port of Kaohsiung this morning, bringing 2,248 mostly European and American travelers to visit southern Taiwan. Around 1,000 of the visitors boarded buses to visit sights in Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung. Others traveled independently around the port city. The passengers boarded the ship at Yokohama Japan, and visited Naha, Ishigaki-jima, and the Port of Keelung, before arriving in Kaohsiung. The ship will depart Kaohsiung for Hong Kong at 6:00pm this evening. Norwegian

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Fly Direct Taichung to Tokyo Daily from June

Mandarin Airlines
Aviation Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Mandarin Airlines announced today that daily flights from Taichung International Airport to Tokyo’s Narita Airport will be launched June 14. The new route means that residents in central Taiwan will not have to travel to Taipei Taoyuan International Airport for flights to Tokyo. The Taichung-Tokyo flight AE266 will take off daily at 7:30am Taiwan time and reach Tokyo at 12:00 noon Japan time: a flying time of 3 hours and 30 minutes. The return flight will depart Tokyo Narita at

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Air New Zealand To Fly Direct Auckland to Taipei from November

air new zealand plane
Aviation Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

Air New Zealand said it will fly up to 5 times per week direct between Auckland and Taipei Taoyuan International Airport starting in November 2018. The 11 hour flight NZ77 will depart Auckland at 10:35am and arrive in Taiwan at 4:50pm local time. Flight NZ78 will depart Taipei at 6:30pm, arriving in Auckland at 10:20am the following day. The route will be flown by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Air New Zealand briefly flew direct to Taipei in the winter of

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Roads and Public Transport Congested on First Day of Long Weekend

traffic jam
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment

Some sections of the National Freeway saw speeds reduced to stop and go, while a rockfall on the Suhua Highway saw traffic back up more than 10 kilometers as motorists hit the road for the New Year long weekend. Taiwan High Speed Rail and Taiwan Railways were also strained as passengers crammed onto trains. On National Freeway 1, traffic traveled at 20-40 kph earlier in the morning, but by noon between Tucheng and Longtan, speeds had reduced to a snail-pace

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Another Tour Bus Driver Arrested for DUI

tour bus
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The driver of a tour bus was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Keelung yesterday. It was the second Sunday in a row to see a tour bus driver arrested for the offence, and is the second offence for the same driver this year. Mr Wang, 55, was driving a family tour group consisting of 30 passengers back to Taichung after an overnight trip to Ilan County, Sunday, December 10. After being pulled over by police while

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Tour Bus Driver Arrested for Drink Driving

bus driver arrested for drink driving
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

[Picture: Taipei City Police Department Nangang Branch] The driver of a tour bus carrying a group of tourists from South Korea was arrested yesterday after an alcohol breath test showed a reading of (BrAC) 0.32 mg/l (a little over 0.06% BAC). Shortly after 10:00am yesterday in Nangang District, New Taipei City, a sharp-eyed police officer on a routine patrol spotted the driver and became suspicious of his red flushed face. The officer stopped the bus and questioned the driver. During

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Japanese Tourists Terrified by Drag Racing, Red Light Burning Taxi Driver

taxi in tainan city
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A long-term Japanese resident in Tainan city felt embarrassed yesterday, after a taxi he hired for his two Japanese guests sped through narrow downtown streets and ran red lights. The taxi driver then attempted to overcharge his clients, claiming status as an expert driver. Nozaki Takao, owner of the Mr Ramen chain of restaurants, took his guests to a night-market in Tainan City last night, then hailed a taxi to take his guests back to their hotel. The taxi driver

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