From 23rd to 25th January 2015, the RDS Simmonscourt in Ballsbridge once again played host to the Dublin Holiday World Show, Ireland’s long-running and largest travel exhibition and trade show. For the fifth consecutive year Taiwan was represented prominently with the Taipei Representative Office in Ireland operating a vibrant and colourful display stand. This was maintained with the assistance of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau and a wide range of promotional materials and information were available to visitors. Over the course of the weekend there were over 2,100 visitors to the Taiwanese exhibition – making it one of the most popular and attractive exhibits at the show.
Although Taiwan is thousands of miles away, concerted efforts have been made in recent times to enhance Taiwan’s visibility in Ireland and to promote awareness. The Dublin Holiday World Show has been a very useful means of introducing the Irish people to the country.
The theme chosen for Taiwan’s display booth was a simple but meaningful one, highlighting the idea of Taiwan being ‘the heart of Asia’. The open and welcoming layout of the exhibit was complemented by various activities and materials which aimed to show the rich and warm culture of Taiwan. Samples of Sun-moon Lake black tea were provided to visitors, who were not only presented with detailed brochures but also various games and interactive features. They were treated to demonstrations of Taiwanese calligraphy, the diabolo (Taiwanese yo-yo), and face-painting while there was also a Q&A game with spot prizes.
Taiwan’s display booth was officially launched on the 23rd January 2015 and a couple of special guests and well known Irish political figures – Terence Flanagan T.D. and Councillor Declan Flanagan – attended the opening ceremony to show their support. They began by expressing their admiration for the design of the new Taiwan display stand and noting the warm and active interaction that visitors to the stand were receiving. Both Deputy Flanagan and Councillor Flanagan are long-standing friends of Taiwan and members of the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Society. Having visited on a number of occasions, and they were keen to share their own personal experiences and first-hand knowledge with visitors and travel agencies alike. They spoke of notable places that they had visited and, in particular, of how impressed they were by the warmth, friendliness and hospitality of the Taiwanese people. It was, they said, a place everyone should hope to visit.
Over the weekend, the Taiwan stand was manned by a combination of staff of the Taipei Representative Office, Taiwanese who had made their home in Ireland and visiting working holiday makers. This ensured that there was a rich authentic feel to the Taiwanese exhibit and through their energy and good nature they made a real connection with the guests. Visitors were able to learn about everything from Taiwan’s history and culture to its tourism scene to its sporting prowess. They discovered that it was a perfect holiday destination, marked out by a variety of attractions and remarkable diversity. For those planning to see more of Asia, it explained that Taiwan was also an ideal base in the heart of the continent with modern infrastructure and excellent travel facilities. Finally, visitors were also made aware of the Working Holiday Program between Ireland and Taiwan, in operation since 1st January 2013. There was an enthusiastic response to the opportunities presented by this program and it was presented as a unique chance for Irish young people to go abroad, experience a different culture, acquire new skills and broaden their horizons. Attached to the information regarding the Working Holiday Program was an insightful article, written last year by columnist Carol Hunt for ‘The Sunday Independent’, Ireland’s most celebrated and widely circulated Sunday newspaper. Entitled ‘A World of Differences on Asia’s Most Creative City’, this article shone a positive light on Taipei City’s virtues, introducing Taiwanese art, culture, museums, music, tourism, sport and gourmet food.
Frank Lu, President of the Taiwan-Ireland Association was on hand to demonstrate the diabolo (Taiwanese yo-yo) and actively encouraged people to give it a try for themselves. Evan Liu, a member of the Taiwanese community in Ireland, was present throughout to thrill members of the public by giving them the opportunity to see their ‘Chinese name’ written in beautiful, ornate calligraphy with background of brush paintings of orchid, bamboo, orange or goat (due to year of goat). She would write this on a beautiful decorative card with ‘Taiwan the heart of Asia’ logo and present it to them as a unique keepsake to remind them of Taiwan. Another member of the Taiwanese community in Ireland, Yahui Minnock, delighted guests by painting their faces in traditional and aboriginal Taiwanese style. Visitors responded particularly well to a Q&A style game where they were given a note with 6 questions about Taiwan and 6 answers. After being given a minute to study the note, they would roll a dice and be asked a question. If they could answer correctly they received a prize! This proved a novel and enjoyable way to ensure that all visitors left a little the wiser about Taiwan.
In addition to the warm and arresting display booth, the Taipei Representative Office in Ireland also arranged for an advertisement to be carried in ‘Travel Extra’, Ireland’s largest travel publication. This contained general tourism information as well as a special feature about Sun Moon Lake’s beautiful bicycle lane. With ‘Travel extra’ being the official media outlet of the show, each and every visitor through the door received a free copy and had the opportunity to see this advertisement.
Over the course of the weekend, more than 50,000 people visited the Holiday World Show, with more than 1000 professionals and tourism offices participating. In its 26th year more than 60 countries were represented and there was a very strong Asian presence with China, Thailand, Malaysia, India and Sri-Lanka also taking part alongside Taiwan.
As in previous years, Taiwan’s participation at the 2015 Holiday World Show Dublin was a great success and again demonstrated the increasing visibility and awareness of Taiwan in Ireland.
Photo 1: Irish Parliament Member Terence Flanagan, Councillor of DublinDeclan Flanagan and Deputy Repsesentative James Buu
Photo 2: Evan Liu demonstrated calligraphy writing of translated Chinese name for visitors
Photo 3: Frank Lu, President of the Taiwan-Ireland Association demonstrated and taught the diabolo (Taiwanese yo-yo)
Photo 4: Taiwanese artist Yahui Minnock painted visitors’ faces in traditional and aboriginal Taiwanese style
