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Taitung to host Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon Festival

Taitung County expects the 2011 Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon Festival this summer to promote its tourism. (Courtesy of Taitung County Government)

• Publication Date：06/29/2011
• Source： Taiwan Today

The annual Dream of Flying event at the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area in the southeastern county of Taitung is set to kick off July 1, with this year’s main feature being a hot air balloon festival.

“The 2011 Taiwan International Hot Air Balloon Festival will be the first international gala of its kind to be held in this country,” Taitung County Magistrate Justin Huang said June 28.

The county government wanted to hold this historic first to coincide with the ROC centennial, he pointed out.

A total of 20 hot air balloon teams from Canada, Dubai, India, New Zealand, Switzerland, Thailand, the U.S. and Taiwan have been invited to take part in the fiesta.

According to Huang, the festival will include a hot air balloon summit, a freestyle performance, a summer camp and other instructional programs, all of which are firsts for Taiwan.

“It is also a pioneering event for the development of hot air balloon activities, especially the cultivation of talent, in Taitung,” he added.

“By holding this festival, we hope to attract even more local tourists to Taitung, and to promote the county’s special tourist attractions on the international stage,” Huang explained.

The festival is slated to run through Aug. 31 at the Luye Gaotai area in the scenic park. (SB)