DRT SHOW Taiwan 2019 Taiwan International Diving & Holiday Tourism Expo
The 2019 Taiwan International Diving & Holiday Tourism Expo (DRT SHOW Taiwan 2019) came to a successful close on June 2 at the Taipei Yuanshan Flower Expo Zhengyan Hall. Over the course of three days, visitors were treated to a wealth of activities and experiences, including: professional diving seminars, an ocean culture market, an Ocean Guardian challenge course, a Top 100 Rising Stars underwater photography gallery, a children's zone, an ocean film and video theatre, ocean installation art, ocean handicraft workshops, a reduced-plastic light-bites area, lucky draws, a new product showcase area, photo check-in spots, and more.
As Taiwan's only international professional dive expo, the show is not aimed solely at diving enthusiasts — the organizers hope to reach a far more diverse audience. This year, they introduced even more innovative programming, including underwater photography and videography, travel, marine conservation, handicrafts, and a cultural-creative market. This rich mix of exhibitors, topics, and activities brought a host of fresh elements to the floor, drawing not only divers but also members of the public interested in water-based activities and those passionate about environmental issues.
According to statistical reports, visitor numbers grew by 20% in 2019, with the three-day expo attracting a total of 33,560 visitors from across Asia and around the world. In addition, the number of trade buyers and media representatives also grew significantly — figures that offer a glimpse of the enormous potential and future development of Taiwan's diving market, making it a market that investors simply cannot afford to overlook.
In addition to the many activities on offer, visitors could also discover hundreds of leading domestic and international diving brands on the show floor.
Beyond the activities, many dive shops brought with them a variety of diving training systems, offering instruction tailored to visitors' learning needs and certification levels, including: AIDA (freediving agency), DIWA, MFI, NAUI (certification agency), PADI (certification agency), SSI (certification agency), SDI (certification agency), and TDI (certification agency). Diving, of course, is far more than just scuba diving — the many training systems represented on the floor each covered their own specialist disciplines, such as: scuba diving, freediving, technical diving, mermaid diving, underwater photography courses, adaptive diving, and dive therapy. Visitor satisfaction surveys confirmed that the diverse training services offered by the participating dive shops fully met attendees' needs for all types of diving instruction and certification.
Furthermore, whether already certified divers or those working their way toward dive mastery, visitors could consult directly with participating tourism boards, dive centers, and resorts about travel packages to different countries. DRT SHOW Taiwan was honored to welcome the Department of Tourism of the Philippines, the Indonesia Tourism Board, the Marianas Visitors Authority, and the Yap Visitors Bureau to this year's event. These tourism boards brought regional dive shops, resorts, and accommodation operators with them, providing professional on-the-ground travel information, itinerary planning, budget breakdowns, dive site introductions, and package coordination.
In recent years, as environmental advocacy has gained momentum around the world, marine conservation has become a cause that the DRT SHOW organizers take very seriously — one they hope to amplify by using the expo as a platform to raise public awareness. As in the previous year, the "Ocean Guardian Challenge Course" was held once again, combining the strength of NGOs with the platform provided by DRT SHOW to co-create a series of creative and engaging challenge activities. Using different marine conservation themes and fun game stations, visitors absorbed conservation knowledge as they worked through the course, naturally developing a sense of care for the ocean and an awareness of marine conservation. Through the Ocean Guardian Challenge Course, participants could enjoy the thrill of completing every station while happily learning at the same time — for the organizers of a professional dive expo, conveying marine conservation values through education and entertainment is a responsibility they embrace wholeheartedly.
Congratulations are in order for the approximately 2,500 visitors who successfully completed all challenge stations and earned the title of Ocean Guardian. Heartfelt thanks also go to Greenpeace / 財團法人綠色和平基金會, Sea Turtle Roll Call, the Taiwan Environmental Information Association, the Chinese Cetacean Society, the Ocean Conservation Administration of the Ocean Affairs Council, and the Taiwan Sea Turtle Conservation Society for enthusiastically joining the Ocean Guardian Challenge Course.
At the Taiwan International Diving & Holiday Tourism Expo, visitors can do far more than purchase and learn about the latest diving equipment, find top-quality dive training organizations and dive shops, or plan a superb-value overseas dive trip — they can also take part in hands-on ocean eco-craft workshops, browse (and splurge at) the ocean cultural-creative market, take on the challenge course to become an Ocean Guardian, and enjoy viewing hundreds of pieces in the underwater photography gallery and underwater film screenings. DRT SHOW Taiwan also prepared around 40 highly professional seminars covering a wide range of diving-related topics, giving visitors the chance to connect with speakers, share experiences, and exchange ideas up close.
The Taiwan International Diving & Holiday Tourism Expo is more than just a successful B2B2C trade exhibition — it is an organizer dedicated to the diving market and committed to creating the must-attend annual event for every diver.
Over three days, the expo welcomed a total of 33,560 visitors, opening with great fanfare and closing on a perfect note. Next year's DRT SHOW Taiwan International Diving & Holiday Tourism Expo will return to the Taipei Yuanshan Flower Expo Zhengyan Hall from May 29 to 31, 2020 — we look forward to seeing you there!
DRT SHOW Taiwan 2020 Show Dates: May 29 – May 31, 10:00–18:00
DRT SHOW Taiwan 2020 Venue: Taipei Yuanshan Flower Expo Zhengyan Hall
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