TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The annual Taipei Tourism Expo (TTE) opened Friday (Aug. 28) without the presence of international airlines as the focus turns to domestic travel due to the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.

The number of stands at the event’s 14th edition was only half those of its previous incarnations. Even so, about 250,000 travel-hungry visitors are expected to turn up, UDN reported.

Travel agencies Lion Travel and Colatour had the biggest presence at the Aug. 28-31 TTE, which had been rescheduled from May because of the pandemic. In order to fill up the empty spaces, food and drink producers were reportedly invited to exhibit their wares.

Despite international travel bans and flight cancelations, prizes at the event include tickets for trips to Japan, South Korea, and Thailand. The tickets are valid for two years but can also be exchanged for flights to Taiwan’s outlying islands if the pandemic persists.

As “pretend flights abroad” have become popular, the South Korean pavilion at TTE reconstructed an airport departure zone and an airplane cabin to give visitors a feel for international travel, UDN reported.

Government measures have boosted the domestic travel sector by 40 percent, with funding likely to last until late September, reports said. The Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ten National Holiday, both in early October, are expected to see many tourists traveling around the island.