The Taiwan International Orchid Show (TIOS), one of the world's three main international orchid shows, ran from March 4–13 at the Taiwan Orchid Plantation in Tainan City. Attracting 248,067 visitors from 27 countries, attendance showed a significant 12.5% increase compared with that of 2016.

President Tsai Ing-Wen visited TIOS for the second time and commended the organizer, Tainan City Government, for setting up an orchid breeding center in the plantation that will serve as a production base for further development of indigenous breeds and seedlings. More cooperation with Central and South American companies is also expected.

The show featured various Taiwanese elements and a huge installation piece made of orchids titled "Taiwan Pheasant and Watch Orchids in Tainan" was on display. TIOS 2017, themed "Discover Sustainable Orchids" boasted four main areas: Innovative Hall, Beauty Hall, Happiness Hall, and Future Hall.

Virtual reality technology was introduced for the first time to simulate stepping into an orchid greenhouse, offering a whole new way of orchid demonstration.

The show's project leader, Lin Feng-Tien, said that TIOS 2017 broke several records: most visitors in its history, the biggest and the best theme areas, 2,000 flowers joining the competition, 500 new kinds of orchids shown, and 249 practitioners/researchers from Taiwan's orchid industry attending.

Lin then pointed out the fact that orchids play the most important role in Taiwan's flower export industry, with an annual production value exceeding six to seven billion NT dollars. TIOS is a prime platform for industry players to exchange experiences. Many international buyers take this time to place orders for the next three to five years, with potential value estimated up to tens of billions NT dollars.

Sources: Liberty Times Official Website, UDN.com