To promote the imagery of “Taiwan, the heart of Asia,” the Taiwan Tourism Bureau has worked in collaboration with Tiger Party to bring Taiwan into Times Square through the “Join Hearts” campaign. The campaign will be held from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, on December 2nd, at Military Island, in front of the ABC SuperSign.

In this campaign, New Yorkers and Taiwanese nationals will interact with each other—by showing heart-shaped gestures simultaneously—through live streaming on billboards in Times Square and Taipei. The billboard in Times Square will then play a short film showcasing the beauty of Taiwan. Participants who use hashtag (#TaiwanHeartofAsia) to share their photos or videos on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook could win a roundtrip ticket to Taiwan.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau also kicked off its “Show Your Heart” social media event on November 1 for those who cannot attend the December event. To participate in the event, you can log on to its website (https://TaiwanTourism.Guide) and play an interactive game with another player in Taiwan. You may simply post a picture that contains any heart-shaped item and use hashtag #ShowYourHeart on Instagram or Twitter, and our team will share your post together with a Taiwanese participant’s post.

Both #TaiwanHeartofAsia and #ShowYourHeart participants will be entered into a drawing to win New York – Taipei roundtrip tickets. The post that gets the most likes will win a round-trip ticket to Taiwan as well.

Brian Su, Deputy Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, stated that the mission of the campaign is to offer New Yorkers and international tourists in Times Square a glimpse of Taiwan, and familiarize the world with the brand image, “Taiwan – The Heart of Asia.”

Claire Chia Szu Wen, Director of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau New York Office said Taiwan’s tourism industry performed brilliantly last year, with visitor arrivals topping 10 million. People coming from the United States accounted for 520,000 of those arrivals, which was an increase of 9.27% from 2015. This trend has continued over the first half of this year with American arrivals soaring 10.43%. The Taiwan Tourism Bureau expects the number of tourists to continue to grow.