Major tourist attractions across Taiwan are set to be featured on U.S. television network CBS next year after the channel completed filming a travel special in the nation Nov. 19, according to the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications.
 
The program will follow Adam Klein, winner of the 33rd season of CBS competitive reality show “Survivor,” and Jorge Maravilla, winner of the 40th San Francisco Marathon, during their visit to Taiwan Nov. 15-19. While in the country, the two participated in activities like hiking up Taipei City’s Elephant Mountain, eating street food at Raohe Night Market and cycling across the Tropic of Cancer in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County.
 
During the five-day shoot, the pair also hiked through Taroko National Park and visited indigenous villages on the nation’s east coast. On the last day of their trip, Maravilla participated in the Gaillardia Island 2017 Penghu Cross-sea Marathon alongside some 1,500 competitors from countries around the world including Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and the U.S.
 
The project was filmed in Taiwan at the invitation of the Tourism Bureau as part of government efforts to promote the nation’s natural splendor and popular tourism destinations. Bureau statistics show that visitor numbers from the U.S. have gradually risen over the years, with 2016 seeing nearly 524,000 arrivals, a 32.5 percent increase from 2010. 
 
According to Tourism Bureau Director-General Chou Yung-hui, unique outdoor activities like the Penghu Cross-sea Marathon are a natural draw for international visitors. He added that the bureau is committed to targeting varied tourism markets in order to attract visitors year round. (KWS-E)