Events

The Tourism Administration, MOTC, held a press conference today (August 13) to launch the 2026–2027 Taiwan Hot Springs campaign. Centered on “Year-Round Hot Spring Travel” and “Taiwan-Style Wellness,” the campaign brings together 19 distinctive hot spring regions across Taiwan, connecting them with local cuisine, cultural experiences, distinctive accommodations, and immersive travel itineraries to challenge the traditional perception that hot springs are only a winter attraction. To encourage travelers to discover the appeal of hot springs in every season, the Tourism Administration also previewed one of the year’s major highlights, the 2026–2027 Taiwan Hot Springs Launch Ceremony, which will take place on September 4 at Guguan Park in Taichung. More than 500 participants are expected to join a themed street parade, while the Guguan installment of this year’s Valley Light Festival will hold its lighting ceremony that same evening. The festivities will continue the following day with a Songhe Tribal Village hike and an evening concert. Eligible participants who stay at a participating accommodation in Guguan will also receive an NT$500 accommodation rebate. The Tourism Administration is also rolling out some of its most attractive promotions to date, including free points for followers of the official Taiwan Hot Springs LINE account and a limited release of NT$1 hot spring vouchers for the 11/11 Shopping Festival. Domestic and international travelers alike are invited to follow Taiwan’s hot springs into local communities and experience the island’s distinctive landscapes, culture, and regional character. Taiwan Hot Springs is one of the Tourism Administration’s four major tourism events, with the Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area Headquarters serving as this year’s organizer. A major international highlight will be the campaign’s first large-scale multinational exchange in partnership with the East Asia Hot Spring Alliance. An expert forum will be held on the morning of September 4 at The Sun Hot Spring & Resort in Taichung, bringing together specialists and academics to discuss international trends in wellness tourism. The campaign will also target key visitor markets including Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Europe, and North America. Through international video content and social media outreach, together with partnerships involving overseas tour operators and travel platforms, the Tourism Administration aims to establish Taiwan’s hot springs as a distinctive year-round tourism brand with strong international recognition and market appeal. Today’s press conference broke away from the traditional format by inviting prominent figures from the international and domestic worlds of cuisine, design, fashion, visual media, culture, and tourism to serve as “Hot Spring Travel Guides.” Through a lively runway-style presentation and personal experience sharing, they introduced the characteristics of different hot spring waters and the landscapes of Taiwan’s hot spring regions. Participants included internationally renowned chef Edward Lee of the popular Netflix competition series Culinary Class Wars; Yen Po-Chun, designer of the Taiwan Hot Springs campaign’s key visual; Kazuma Otsuka, Chairman and General Manager of TSUTAYA Taiwan; Andrew Chau, TaiwanPlus host and actor; model Mia Sabathy; and Feng Tian, host of Super Taste. Drawing on their professional backgrounds and personal experiences, the guests explored the connections between hot springs and cuisine, design, fashion, and physical and mental wellness. Working with local businesses, they also introduced regional agricultural products, specialty dishes, and lifestyle products, extending the hot spring experience beyond soaking to the culture, character, and industries of local communities. The Tourism Administration noted that Taiwan’s diverse geography, from mountain regions and plains to longitudinal valleys, has given rise to a remarkable variety of hot spring waters. This year, the Administration is pooling resources across the agency and has developed five carefully planned, senior-focused hot spring itineraries, connecting distinctive hot spring destinations with accommodation providers to create relaxing and wellness-oriented travel experiences for older visitors. Taiwan Hot Springs is also expanding cross-sector collaboration. In partnership with the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, National Chung Hsing University’s Hsin-Hua Forest and Hui-Sun Forest, and National Taiwan University’s Xitou Nature Education Area, the campaign is offering a special “Forest and Hot Spring Travel” promotion. From now through October 31, travelers staying overnight in participating hot spring areas can receive half-price admission to participating national forest recreation areas and the three participating forest destinations. From December 4 to 17, the campaign will also partner with the Taiwan Railway Corporation to offer the special “Taiwan Hot Springs: Flavors of the Springs” bento at selected Taiwan Railway bento outlets. For the first time, Guanziling mud hot spring products, including a mud hot spring bubble face mask, and limited-edition OhBear-shaped Taiwan Hot Springs egg cakes will also be available through selected retail channels, including Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. These collaborations extend the hot spring experience into every aspect of travel, from dining and accommodation to transportation, sightseeing, and shopping. A series of launch activities will take place in Guguan beginning on September 4. The launch ceremony and themed street parade at Guguan Park will feature Atayal musical instruments and a traditional hunter shooting experience, with more than 500 participants expected to join the “Your Hot Spring Style” parade. The Guguan installment of this year’s Valley Light Festival will also light up on September 4 in conjunction with the Taiwan Hot Springs launch. Under the theme “OhBear Loves Hot Springs,” the festival will feature an eight-meter-long OhBear installation, the largest of its kind in Taiwan, blending hot spring culture and illuminated art into a relaxing nighttime spectacle. Every 30 minutes during the event, visitors can enjoy a three-minute immersive light show featuring colorful lighting, bubbles, and mist effects, inviting travelers to leave their fatigue behind and step into a soothing dreamscape. Visitors who participate in the Songhe Tribal Village hike on September 5 and stay that night at a participating accommodation in Guguan will receive an NT$500 accommodation rebate. A range of digital promotions and special ticket offers will roll out at the same time. Starting in September, the first 2,000 new followers to join the official Taiwan Hot Springs LINE account will receive 50 points, while existing followers will also have opportunities to earn points through promotional drawings. The points can be redeemed directly at participating accommodations, restaurants, and specialty shops in hot spring regions across Taiwan, with one point equal to NT$1. Beginning October 1, selected hot spring packages will be available from just NT$299. Then, for the 11/11 Shopping Festival on November 11, a limited number of NT$1 hot spring vouchers will be released, with only 800 available. An additional off-season promotion will run from March through June 2027. Customers who purchase NT$5,000 or more in general-use Taiwan Hot Springs vouchers will receive a complimentary Taiwan PASS – Taiwan Railway (TR) Edition, valued at NT$2,500, with only 100 passes available. Members of the public can also upload a photo to a designated post on the Taiwan Hot Springs Facebook page. After the photo is verified at the front desk of a participating accommodation in a designated hot spring region, visitors can receive one complimentary can of specially developed pineapple-apple-flavored “Spring Wellness” sparkling water. Each account is limited to one can, while supplies last. The Tri-Mountain National Scenic Area Headquarters stated that the 2026–2027 Taiwan Hot Springs campaign will focus on brand communication, product development, and cross-sector collaboration, strengthening connections between Taiwan’s tourism industry and international markets while generating tangible benefits through industry upgrades in hot spring destinations and shared regional tourism growth.