Culinary expo to promote Taiwanese cuisine to overseas tourists

Taipei, July 30 (CNA) The 2024 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition, set to be held from Aug. 2-5 in Taipei, will feature local food, restaurants and chefs from across Taiwan, as it seeks to promote the country's cuisine to foreign visitors, the organizer Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA) said Tuesday.

During the four-day annual event at the Taipei World Trade Center Hall 1, expo-goers will be able to explore more than 600 food booths, including those hosted by Michelin-rated restaurants and chefs, and taste fresh ingredients from different parts of Taiwan, according to the TVA.

"If Taiwan wants to market itself to the world, it must first entice global travelers with Taiwanese cuisine" said TVA honorary chairperson Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭) at a press event Tuesday.

Yeh expressed hope that the exhibition will also serve as a platform for chefs and food industry professionals to collaborate and innovate.

Echoing Yeh's remarks, TVA chairperson Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) emphasized that Taiwan's greatest charm is its food, and visitors appreciate not only TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.), microchips, and the democratic atmosphere, but also the best cuisine.

"When our TVA colleagues attend exhibitions in foreign countries, as soon as we set up our booth and serve Gua Bao (Taiwanese Pork Belly Buns) and bubble tea, they attract smiles, enthusiasm, and money," Chien said.

Asked how the exhibition was promoted to overseas tourists, TVA Deputy Secretary-General Shiang Tsao (曹惟翔) told CNA that the association advertised the event at more than 20 overseas travel expos and collaborated with online travel agencies like Agoda, which will promote the fair through articles on its website.

While the expo will also feature international cuisine and ingredients from countries like Japan and Vietnam, there will be no designated area for the promotion of Halal food at this year's exhibition, Tsao said.

Such an area had been included in previous editions of the show before the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, she mentioned that visitors can still find information about halal-certified hotels and restaurants at this year's event.

With admission priced at NT$200 (US$6.08), the organizer expects to attract over 90,000 visitors, surpassing last year's attendance.