'1st World Bird Fair' to be held in Taichung in September

Taipei, March 17 (CNA) Taiwan will host the "1st World Bird Fair" in Taichung in September to promote bird conservation and birdwatching ecotourism worldwide, the Tourism Administration announced on Monday.

The event will be organized by the international World Birdfairs Council (WBC), a global body that represents birding events across the world.

It has held regional bird fairs, including South American and Asian bird fairs in 2024 and an international bird tourism fair in 2025, but the event in Taichung, tentatively scheduled for Sept. 19-23, will be its first show dedicated to global activities.

Aside from the support provided by the administration, the event is also co-organized with the Taiwan Wild Bird Society and the Taiwan Ecotourism Promotion Association. 

According to an administration press release Monday, the event will draw environmental groups, bird conservation organizations, and ecotourism operators from 25 countries around the world.

There will be a symposium on birdwatching ecotourism that will address such topics as birdwatching and conservation and the future of bird-related exhibitions and bird-centered tourism, it said.

On the last two days of planned events from Sept. 22 to 23, foreign attendees to the fair will be invited on a tour of Taiwan's Daxueshan National Forest Recreation Area, a well known domestic birdwatching location.

While the actual event requires a participation fee, the WBC announced that there will be an exhibition weekend that will be free to members of the public.

The free entry exhibition will be held in Taichung's Civic Plaza on Sept. 20 and 21.

When hosting representatives from 16 WBC member countries at a recent event to promote the September fair, Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said ecotourism has recovered faster than any other tourism sector since COVID-19.

To be able to host the very first World Bird Fair will mean that Taiwan's tourism sector has the opportunity to showcase itself as a sustainable and ecofriendly sector to travelers across the globe, Chou said.