Taipei, Dec. 2 (CNA) A 67-year-old man from Hong Hong was greeted by senior staff from Taiwan's Tourism Bureau and presented with flowers upon his arrival in Taiwan Tuesday, when he was identified as the 9 millionth international visitor to the country this year.

The man, surnamed Lo, is on a sightseeing trip with his two children, visiting Taiwan for the first time.

Upon arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Lo was greeted by Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General Chang Hsi-tsung, who presented him with flowers at a welcome ceremony.

Speaking in Cantonese, Lo said he and his children were very excited and happy to have scored the 9-million mark in Taiwan.

The Tourism Bureau said it will hold a press conference Wednesday to highlight the fact that it has achieved its foreign visitor arrival goal for the year and to present Lo with gifts representative of Taiwan.

Last year, Taiwan recorded just over 8 million international visitor arrivals, an annual increase of 9.64 percent.

(By Bien Chin-feng and Elizabeth Hsu)
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