TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Forestry Bureau at the Taipei International Travel Fair unveiled 38 popular itineraries through Taiwan's forests on the event’s first day, Friday (Nov. 4).

The Nov. 4-7 fair is a first since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the first since Taiwan scrapped the three-day mandatory quarantine for arrivals from overseas on Oct. 13. The move has given hope for a rapid recovery of both international inbound and outbound tourism, with airlines, cities, countries, hotels, restaurants, and amusement parks spread over 1,200 stands.

The Forestry Bureau set up a special pavilion to present Taiwan’s national forests and the wealth of activities possible in those areas, the Liberty Times reported. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was welcomed at the stand with a wooden model of a steam train, which will resume service in Chiayi County’s Alishan scenic area next month.

The pavilion is intended to illustrate how 60% of the country is covered by forests, providing a habitat to numerous species of animals and plants. Visitors from Taiwan and abroad can pick from 38 travel programs taking them to the mountains and into the forests for several days at a time, Forestry Bureau officials said.