China - Tourism officials from the Shanghai 2010 World Expo are visiting Taiwan in October to promote the event to the Taiwanese people.
The 2010 Expo, held between 1 May and 31 October, marks Taiwan’s first participation since 1970, when the event was held in Osaka. The Taiwan External Trade Development Council plans to raise NT$1bn (US$30.33m) from local businesses to finance the pavilion, which will feature local delicacies and performances by various cultural and artistic groups.
The vice-director of the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration, Cheng Mei Hong, said that the visit, the second of its kind this year, is being planned to explain the Expo's latest developments to the Taiwanese.
According to Mei Hong, Taiwan, together with Hong Kong and Japan, will be one of the major tourist sources for the 2010 World Expo.
Assistant director at the World Expo booking center, Chen Chen, said the Expo authorities have forecast around 70 million people will visit the event. This number includes 3.5 million from abroad, with nearly one million expected to come from within Taiwan.
Earlier this week, three Shanghai media groups signed contracts to be official media partners of the event. Wenhui-Xinmin United Press Group, publisher of the Shanghai Daily, Jiefang Daily Group and Shanghai Media Group all signed contracts with the Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination on Tuesday.
