News Release by the Tourism Bureau
The Tourism Bureau has cooperated for many years with the well-known American traveling program of “Joseph Rosendo's Travelscope” on PBS for many years. After the spectacular episodes of “Taiwan Lantern Festival” and “Taiwan: Iron Pathways to Adventure”, the bureau once again collaborated with the show to make an episode on “Taiwan’s Penghu Islands”. Leading by the Emmy Award winning host of Joseph Rosendo, he led North American audiences to tour the mysterious island of Penghu, which was recommended by Lonely Planet. This episode was included in the 9th season of Travelscope, which was first aired in USA and Canada on December 2016. The whole series of episodes were nominated for four major prizes in this year’s Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Travel and Adventure Program, Outstanding Directing in a Lifestyle/Culinary/Travel Program, Outstanding Host in a Lifestyle/Travel/Children’s or Family Viewing Program and Outstanding Cinematography, which set the record for receiving the most nominations for a single program ever and once again present the beauty of Taiwan on the stage of international competition.

The special episode of “Taiwan’s Penghu Islands” traveled Taiwan from the perspective of “Taiwan Fun on the Tropic of Cancer”, in which it combined the versatile traveling elements of Taiwan’s offshore island and was linked with transportations such as scooter, yacht, bamboo raft, scuba diving and even ox cart to chase the beautify daily sunrise and sunset of the offshore island. Host Joseph Rosendo also followed the daily routine of local fishermen from fishing on the sea, docking at Magong Third Fishing Port to unload their harvest, auctioning, frizzling dried fish at Jing-an to learning how to cultivate oysters at Caiyuan Aquafarm. Besides the daily routine of fishermen, he also went to common farming villages and traveled at ease on an ox cart along the countryside alleys of Nanliao, learned from local residents on how to paste walls naturally with ox droppings, and collected herbal medicines at Erkan Old Residence to make incenses. Of course, he did not miss the greatest festival of “Taiwan Fun on the Tropic of Cancer”, Penghu International Fireworks Festival.
 
“The spectacular fireworks are just like a celebration for the richly endowed cultures and various natural gifts of Taiwan,” said Joseph Rosendo emotionally. From its natural sceneries to its rich human kindness, the infinite charms and surprises of Taiwan has attracted him to visit here over and over again, and the festival marked a perfect ending for this spectacular journey.
 
Given that the program was nominated for 4 Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Joseph Rosendo said excitedly, “I really thank Taiwan for providing an opportunity our shooting crew to experience the most authentic human kindness, convenient transportations and local gourmets of Taiwan. Especially the new friends we knew at Penghu really touched our hearts sincerely.” Director Shih Chao-hui of Tourism Representative, Travel Sector, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles stated, “We thank Travelscope for being Taiwan’s long term sturdy partner in allowing more people to know the traditional Minnan culture, special basalt landscapes, abundant marine resources and the local livelihood and gourmet of Penghu. Especially with the broadcast of PBS, it will definitely be conducive in increasing American tourist visiting Taiwan. We expect to have more future cooperation and allow each corner of Taiwan to appear on the stage of Emmy Awards.”