New York, June 18 (CNA) Three New York City tour buses that operate in the Manhattan area will be decorated with pictures of Taiwan temples when they start their routes Monday, as part of an effort by Taiwan to attract more tourists.

The concept for the bus advertisements this year was based on Buddhist temples in Taiwan, said Thomas Chang, head of the Tourism division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York.

The tour buses, which operate for eight hours a day, will carry the Taiwan advertisements until September 26, Chang said.

New York, with a population of over eight million people and more than 50 million visitors annually, makes it the ideal place to promote Taiwan, he said.

The idea of the bus promotion is to have "a heart for culture" and to advertise Taiwan's unique religious culture, including a dance by performers dressed as Taoist deities, Chang said. It is hoped that the uniqueness of the temples will attract people to Taiwan, he added.

(By Leaf Chiang and I-Ling Chen)
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