Taiwan Int'l Balloon Festival Opens on Aug. 7, for Taitung Residents Only 熱氣球嘉年華8/7展開 僅限台東人入場

The Taiwan International Balloon Festival will go ahead despite the pandemic with the launch taking place on August 7.

This year marks the eleventh year of the Taiwan International Balloon Festival in Taitung County. Due to the pandemic, officials have gone back and forth for half a year in deciding whether the event should be held this year. The Taitung County Government finalized its decision announcing that the festival will take place at Chishang Pastoral Farm Resort starting August 7 and will last for 37 days. However, there will be no foreign aeronauts nor out-of-county visitors.

Yao Ching-ling, Taitung County Magistrate："Our hot air balloons this year are only reserved for our dear Taitung residents. Only Taitung residents are allowed to participate in the event in person."

Tour businesses in Taitung were originally looking forward to tourists coming to the hot air balloon festival as the epidemic alert has been lowered to Level 2 in Taiwan. With only Taitung residents allowed to participate, only 10 to 20 percent of hotel rooms have been booked. Many visitors from out of Taitung cancelled their hotel bookings after finding out that out-of-county visitors are not able to attend the festival. Tour operators said the festival then doesn't help business at all.

Li Shu-cha, Chairperson, Taitung Association of Travel Agents："If you can't attend, people just cancel their trips."

Taitung County Government said that Chishang Township and Luye Highlands will take turns hosting the hot air balloon festival this year. This is done in an effort to boost Taitung's economy through an internal circulation of local demands. Residents who have their household registered in Taitung, and people who work or go to school in Taitung can pay NT$500 to attend one hot air balloon flying session in the morning and another in the afternoon each day at the festival. Around 300 to 400 visitors can enjoy hot air balloon trips a day and visitors will receive golden tokens to exchange for NT$500 worth of souvenirs at the souvenir shops.

邁入第十一年的台東縣熱氣球，卻遇上了疫情，到底要不要舉辦，爭議了半年多，不過縣府宣布，從8月7號星期六開始，正式在池上牧野渡假村大草皮舉辦為期37天，並向全國直播，不過今年不但不會有外國球和飛行員來參加，也不會提供外縣市民眾進場。

台東縣長 饒慶鈴表示：「今年的熱氣球，我們將會獻給台東，是只有台東鄉親，才可以參加熱氣球。」

由於疫情才剛降到二級警戒，台東縣的觀光正期待熱氣球帶來商機，但今年熱氣球卻只限定台東人才能進場，已經有一到兩成預訂飯店，要來看熱氣球的外縣市民眾紛紛取消訂房，業者認為，這根本對旅宿業沒有幫助。

台東縣旅館同業公會理事長 李數奼表示：「不給看，不給搭乘，所以有很多的遊客就取消訂房。」

台東縣政府表示，今年的熱氣球活動輪流在池上和鹿野高台舉辦，也是在促進縣內經濟循環。只要是設籍台東、或是在台東工作、就學的民眾，就可以參加每天上、下午各一場、付費5百元的繫留升空體驗，每天可提供3百到4百人分批管制升空，而且還會贈送等值5百元的台東金幣，到特約商店兌換商品，促進縣民在地消費。