Lantern Festival lucky bags to be handed out to foreign visitors

Taipei, Feb. 20 (CNA) The Tourism Administration will distribute limited-edition lucky bags to individual tourists arriving in Taiwan from Thursday, officials with the agency said Tuesday.

The Lantern Festival-themed lucky bags each contain a Year of the Dragon red envelope, a mini lantern, a NT$300 (US$9.52) amusement park ticket coupon and a NT$500 Taiwan PASS coupon, the administration said.

To get a lucky bag, visitors must present a passport or residence certificate and proof of their date of entry to a tourist center in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (terminals one and two), Taipei Songshan Airport or Kaohsiung International Airport, the administration said.

The administration told CNA Tuesday that the limited-edition run of 10,000 lucky bags, which it expects to distribute in full by Saturday, aims to attract international visitors to the Taiwan Lantern Festival.

The administration hopes to introduce visitors to the traditional folk culture surrounding the festival, as well as the combination of traditional crafts with creative technologies in the Lantern Festival exhibitions.

Moreover, the Taiwan PASS coupon, which are primarily used for transportation, invites tourists to travel around the country for more local experiences, it added.

The Taiwan Lantern Festival is being held in Tainan this year from Feb. 24 to March 10, with a total of 300 exhibits displayed in Anping District and near the city's high-speed rail station.

This year's Lantern Festival falls on Saturday, according to the Lunar calendar.