Announcement of Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s “The Best Trip in the World” Contest Winner: Malaysia’s “Bah Kut Teh” Wins NT$1,000,000 in Cash Prize

Since its launch 5 months ago, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s “The Best Trip in the World” contest has attracted global media attention. Today, the contest reaches its climax with the announcement of the winning team, Malaysia’s “Bah Kut Teh”, who will use the NT$1 million cash prize when they come back to Taiwan in February-March 2010 for their one-month trip; they will once again document their travels through online blogging, articles and video.

Since the start of this contest on May 22, 2009, over 1,123 teams from 44 countries have participated. From this pool, 52 teams from 18 countries were selected to continue to the next round, planning a 4-day-3-night trip to Taiwan with travel expenses sponsored by the Tourism Bureau. All teams then put together interesting videos of their travels, which were uploaded onto the official contest website for public viewing and voting. As a result, the contest website has been viewed almost 2.4 million times, and the videos up to 160,000 times. Many selected teams have also expanded their reach, using their personal blogs, YouTube, and social network websites such as Facebook and Twitter to share their documentaries with internet users, creating an approximate 3,500 links to other online websites, along with coverage from international media such as CNN and BBC, furthering increasing global promotions and setting new records for the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.

Tourism Bureau Director-General Lai expresses that all teams have shown great creativity and effort, especially the winning team “Bah Kut Teh”. This is their first time in Taiwan, and they have managed to plan a smooth and unique trip. Not only did they incorporate the many Taiwan travel tips recommended to them from the contest website, “Bah Kut Teh” used their 4 days in Taiwan to discover the sounds of Taiwan’s Aboriginal tribes and explore the island’s magnificent natural landscapes. The team explored Taroko Gorge National Park, Zhui Lu Trail, Swallow’s Grotto, Qingshui Cliff, Matai’an Village, Taibalang Village, Dalumake Village, Sanshu River and much more. They successfully reached the Zhui Lu Cliff – 855 meters above sea level – putting the spotlight on Eastern Taiwan’s natural beauty and aboriginal culture and sharing their experiences with the public.

In addition to this, “Bah Kut Teh” also joined in the festivities at the Aboriginal Festival at the Matai’an Wetlands Cultural Village, putting on the traditional warrior costumes of the Amis Tribe, singing and dancing with the local children, experiencing firsthand the culture and warmth of the people. These memorable experiences are the inspiration behind the team’s efforts in subsequently promoting Taiwan through video, photos and articles online. In order to gain higher online viewership, “Bah Kut Teh” organized various campus events in Malaysia, and also wrote in to Malaysia’s major newspapers and other media outlets. They also filmed a creative video performance, writing their own lyrics to a song describing their travels in Taiwan. Their efforts have ignited positive responses from online websites like Facebook, led to radio interviews on Malaysia’s FM98.8, AIFM, and also earned coverage in other Malaysian media such as Sin Chew Daily, The Star, China Press, Nanyang Siang Pau and Singapore’s The New Paper.

“The Best Trip in the World” contest judging committee collectively agrees that many teams have shown immense effort and passion in recording and sharing their travels with the world. Therefore, China Airlines who was part of the committee, has decided to specially sponsor 2 roundtrip tickets from any destination to the team in 2nd place, “West Meets East”, so that they may revisit Taiwan.

Director-General Lai expresses that the Tourism Bureau will additionally reward the top 8 teams in thanks to their efforts with awards such as “Most In-Depth Travel”, “Most Heartwarming Team” and “Most Brave and Adventurous”. The teams are: “FrenTainese”, “West Meets East”, “Taiwan Explore”, “Yin Di Ah Mei”, “Taiwan Footprint”, “The Senior Australians”, “Above & Below” and “Formosa Adventurers”. These 8 teams will be awarded NT$28,000 in travel expenses to be used from January 1 to October 31, 2010, so that they may once again come to Taiwan and enjoy the island at their leisure, with no requirements to document their travels this time.

Did you miss out on “The Best Trip in the World” travel documentaries? Please log on to the official contest website http://www.taiwanbesttrip.net, and catch those adventurous and creative videos, once again showing the world how beautiful and touching Taiwan truly is!

◎Special Awards given by the Judging Committee

Award: Most In-Depth Travel

Team: FrenTainese

With cycling as the main theme of their trip, not only did this team exude great variety and creativity in their travel plans, they successfully shone the spotlight on eco-friendly tourism. They explored Yilan and the Northeast Coast, making local specialties like tofu and fishballs, experiencing Taiwan at an in-depth, local level.

Team: West Meets East

From a tea-making contest in Mucha, finding tea tools in Yingge, discovering the production of Oriental Beauty in Beipu and Hakka Leicha, to the tea farms in Sun Moon Lake and Alishan, this team has successfully discovered the heart of Taiwan’s signature product – Taiwan tea.

Team: Taiwan Explore

Exploring the intricacies of Penghu’s villages, this team uses unique filmmaking skills to revisit the scenes of Director Hou Xiao Xian’s films and from their travels, show to the world the warmth of Taiwan’s people.

Team: Yin Di Ah Mei

Two girls cycling across Taiwan, discovering the natural beauty of Kending National Park and exploring the aboriginal culture of Taiwan in detail.

Award: Most Heartwarming Team

Team: Taiwan Footprint

Three generations of women traveling together, this grandmother-mother-daughter trio ignites an urge to go travelling with family.

Team: The Senior Australians

Originally a married couple team of two, the Senior Australians came to Taiwan with their entire family including their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Not only did they present Taiwan as a family-friendly destination, they also shared the beauty of Taiwan’s mountains, and proved that mountain climbing is possible for those in retirement.

Award: Most Brave and Adventurous

Team: Above & Below

Using 11 different modes of transport in 4 days (cable cars, tour buses, public buses, taxis, bicycles, cruise ships, scooters, bullet trains, jeeps, the subway system, etc.) to travel from South to North, this team showed the true spirit of adventure.

Team: Formosa Adventurers

An itinerary filled with a variety of adventure sports such as paragliding, river trekking and white water rafting, this team exuded the best of youthful adventurous spirit.

Photo: http://www.cna.com.tw/postwrite/cvpread.aspx?ID=43339