Taiwan booth attracts attention at Vancouver adventure show

Vancouver, March 2 (CNA) Visitors to the annual Vancouver Outdoor Adventure Show this weekend were attracted to the Taiwan booth, which largely featured cycling, according to tourism officials.

The Taiwan booth prominently displayed a large map of the country, showing its many cycling paths along scenic routes, which drew the interest of the visitors, mainly outdoor enthusiasts such as mountain bikers and birdwatchers.

"The large map we designed was centered around Taiwan Cycling Route No.1," said Sylvia Lee (李思賢), the Tourism Administration's top representative to San Francisco, who was at the event.

By highlighting "bicycle-friendly locations in the north, center, south and east of Taiwan, and also giving explanations of the country's bicycle routes, we attracted many inquiries about cycling around the island," Lee told CNA.

Aside from avid Canadian cyclists, many birdwatchers also made inquiries at the Taiwan booth during the exhibition, which was held Saturday and Sunday.

The attention was also due in part to the fact that the international World Birdfairs Council is scheduled to hold the "1st World Bird Fair" in Taichung, central Taiwan, Sept. 19-23.

"Many Canadians favor traveling to natural scenic locations," said Esther Lin (林挺睦) of Signet Tours, a Taiwanese American-founded international tour company that was part of Taiwan booth at the expo. "Taiwan's rich environment and diverse geography are very suitable for the outdoor loving Canadians to explore."