TAIPEI, TAIWAN (Merxwire) – After a four-year hiatus, the “Spend a Night at Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building” program, a pioneering initiative worldwide, will make a powerful comeback this year, beckoning global travelers and welcoming them to step into Taiwan. The General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC) held a press conference today (21st), revealing a promotional video shot by Jason Wang, the renowned Asia’s Kitchen Master and host of TaiwanPlus, exclusively for this event, and officially announced the opening of registration. Secretary-General of the Presidential Office, Chia-Lung Lin, stated that this event has been further enhanced based on past experiences, with the introduction of ten highly recommended in-depth travel themes, inviting global travelers to stay at the Presidential Office Building in Taiwan and witness the country’s friendliness, freedom, and diversity.
Secretary-General Chia-Lung Lin stated that foreign tourists are invited to stay for one night in Taiwan’s landmark and highest authority institution to fully showcase Taiwan’s democracy and friendliness. The 10 major travel themes include Taiwan’s most exciting railway travel, wartime art, Hakka culture, and more. He also emphasized that after three years of preparation and transformation during the epidemic prevention period, Taiwan is ready to welcome tourists from around the world. According to statistics from the Tourism Bureau, the number of international tourist arrivals has reached one million in the first quarter. “I believe that we can achieve the goal of 6 million visitors together this year!”
Vice President of GACC, Li-chiun Cheng, stated that the inaugural event in 2019 caused a sensation when it was first introduced, attracting global travelers to participate, including bloggers, photographers, and even a deaf couple who traveled the world using sign language. The event fully demonstrated the value of inclusive tourism, showcasing the hospitality and openness of the Presidential Office, just like Taiwan’s freedom and friendliness. She also mentioned that during the pandemic, Taiwan did not distance itself from the world due to epidemic prevention measures, but instead became closer partners with the world under the values of freedom and democracy. After overcoming the pandemic, the second “Spend a Night at Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building” event is being launched again. She welcomes everyone to respond to this invitation to get to know Taiwan and fall in love with Taiwan!
The judging panel of the event also attended today and recommended the activity. Judge Ken Wu mentioned that this is the world’s first event that allows the public to stay in the Presidential Office Building. He welcomes everyone to feel Taiwan with an open mind. One of the judges, Leo Seewald, the host of “Happy Fisherman,” said that drinking whiskey in Matsu and staying one night in the Presidential Office Building is the best experience in Taiwan. Another judge, Chiung-Ya Luo, said that staying one night in the Presidential Office Building is a unique experience in the world. The Presidential Office Building has a profound historical, cultural, and humanistic heritage. They look forward to international travelers seeing Taiwan through their lenses.
The Secretary-General of GACC, Hou-Ching Lee, pointed out that in 2019, the world’s first “Spend a Night at Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building” event was held, with a registration period of only 19 days. It received enthusiastic proposals from 167 foreign groups of friends from 33 countries across five continents, demonstrating the appeal of the free experience activity in the international market and highlighting Taiwan’s cultural and historical experiences as a tourist destination. The series of promotional and experiential videos surrounding the event garnered over 30 million views, successfully connecting global netizens to engage in heated discussions and attracting international media coverage.
The Deputy Secretary-General of GACC, Ching-Hui Huang, stated that the registration period for this year’s “Spend a Night at Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building” event is one and a half months long. Global travelers are welcome to register on the event website from now until June 30th. There are 10 slots available (maximum of 2 persons per slot) and the list of successful applicants will be announced in August. The selected guests are expected to fully experience the beauty of Taiwan and bring back the inspiration to their hometowns to share with the world.
Hou-Ching Lee stated that in order for international travelers to gain a deeper understanding of Taiwan, the “Spend a Night at Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building” event in 2023 will use “Fun & Cozy” as the tourism keyword and offer 10 major themes for registrants to choose from, including food, technology, historic sites, art, indigenous culture, Hakka culture, and railways. Travelers are encouraged to fully experience Taiwan’s fun, comfortable, relaxed, and diverse culture. Registrants must provide basic information and a self-recommendation video. Those who are selected will not only stay at the Presidential Office but also choose to visit some of the 10 major tourism themes, record them, and share the footage on social media to spread Taiwan’s brilliance to the world.
Hou-Ching Lee explained that the main visual for the event continues the warm and gentle atmosphere of the past while incorporating local elements of Taiwan, such as flower windows and mosaic tile bathtubs. The wrought iron flower windows commonly seen in street scenes represent the hope and freedom that windows symbolize. The ultra-nostalgic mosaic tile bathtubs commonly found in old Taiwanese homes create an image of home and present Taiwan as a “homeland,” inviting all travelers to enter the lives of Taiwanese people and integrate into the gentle and humanistic atmosphere unique to this land. Detailed information on registration can be found on the official website of the “Spend a Night at Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building” event (www.nightattaiwan.tw).
At the press conference today, Secretary-General of the Presidential Office Chia-lung Lin, Vice President of GACC Li-chun Cheng, Deputy Minister of Culture Sue Wang, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chun Lee, Deputy Director-General of the Tourism Bureau Trust H.J. Lin, and others worked together to put the event invitation letter into the mailbox and extend an invitation to the world. Secretary-General of the Tourism Association Yuyen Chien, CEO of TaiwanPlus Michael Yu, The Secretary-General of GACC Hou-Ching Lee, Vice Secretary-General Ching-Hui Huang, former Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce and host of “Happy Fisherman Hao-ge’s Taiwan Seaside” Leo Seewald, tourism consultant Chiung-Ya Luo, tourism industry opinion leader Ken Wu, Chairman of Chunghwa Telecom Chi-Mau Sheih, Caesar Hotel, and others also attended the event to jointly create an upgraded version of “Spend a Night at Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building”.
Media Contacts
Organizer: General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC)
Contact person: Krista Yang
Website: https://www.nightattaiwan.tw/en/index.php
E-mail: nightattaiwan@mail.create.org.tw
SOURCE: General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC)
