Taiwan Today

The number one destination for tourists visiting Taipei remains the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, according to figures released by the Taipei City Government March 3. In 2009, the major tourist spots in Taipei received a total of 31.569 million visitors, or an average of 86,000 visitors per day. The memorial hall dedicated to the late generalissimo alone accounted for an average of 18,000 visitors per day. With 6.89 million visitors last year, the hall accounted for 21.82 percent of the total. Compared with 2008, the number of visitors to the memorial increased by 25.87 percent last year. The second most popular tourist destination was the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, which received 4.78 million visitors. The Taipei Zoo, with 3.674 million visitors, came in third. The National Palace Museum, which has been very popular with mainland Chinese tourists, came in at fourth place, with 2.575 million visitors. According to Tuo Chung-hwa, commissioner of the Department of Information and Tourism of the Taipei City Government, the most popular destinations have remained more or less the same over the years. He added that his department is promoting three additional tourist packages this year, the first of which is called the “Star Gazing” tour. Tuo explained that the recent hit movie “Monga,” about a group of troubled youth living in Taipei, has made many people curious to see the actual scenes were the film was shot. To cater to these fans, the “Star Gazing” tour will take tourists to the Wanhua District, coffee stores, Taipei 101 and other locales that appear in “Monga.” The city is also promoting venues associated with the popular Maokong Gondola, a four-kilometer cable-car ride between Taipei and Maokong. Closed last year for repairs, the cable cars are scheduled to reopen next month. The Department of Information and Tourism will form of local task force with businesses in the area so that visitors will also stop by at stores close to the cable-car stations. With the third package, the city government is partnering with stores and tourist sites near the city’s metro stations, so that tourists and international backpackers can see much of Taipei simply by riding around the subway. (HZW)