TAIPEI: The celebration of 34th Lantern Festival at the capital here, today, signifies Taiwan's return to pre-pandemic normalcy, said Taiwan Tourism Bureau director-general Chang Shi-Chung.
The Taiwan Lantern Festival was first created by the Tourism Bureau of the Transportation and Communications Ministry in 1990.
This year, it will be held from today until Feb 19 in the Taipei Metropolitan area as an "urban lantern festival".
Following the implementation of technological innovation, the festival emerged as the most important event for the Lunar New Year, which is celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month in Taiwan.
Dubbed as a "World Night View" heritage event by international media, the annual festival is the largest celebration in Taiwan.
"After three years (of the Covid-19 pandemic), we are having this one of these 'World Night View' heritage events.
"This signifies that Taiwan's return to normalcy. We are hoping for the tourism industry to bounce back," Chang said during a press conference for the 2023 Taiwan Lantern Festival at Sun-Yat Sen Hall, adding that Taiwan began reopening its international borders in October last year.
He also said the International Friendship Lantern Area covered 10 cities and saw the participation of Japanese enterprises.
Among the highlights include four popular Japanese Yosakoi dance troupes set to dazzle the crowd at festival.
This year's Lantern Festival also features four main exhibition areas, including the Beacons of Light display zone, Fountain of Light display zone, Lights of the Future display zone, and Central Display zone.
There will be more than 300 exhibits and 12 administrative lantern areas, with an exhibition area of 168 hectares, making it the largest lantern festival in recent years.
Taiwan is aiming to achieve a target of six million tourist arrival this year and 11.86 million by next year.