Taiwan boasts some of the finest Chinese food on the planet. For variety, flavor, and freshness – to say nothing of widespread availability and reasonable prices – few other destinations even come close. But while residents of Taiwan know that this is true, and visitors from Japan, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore are becoming increasingly aware of it, Taiwan’s culinary virtues are not as widely known around the globe as they deserve to be.

This is partly due to a lack of promotion. In this regard, Taiwan’s competitors have been light years ahead. Singapore never ceases to trumpet its noodles, spices, and chicken rice, while mainland China attracts so much international attention that its fame extends to its food as well. Other Asian countries like Japan and Thailand have carved out niches in the culinary world for their unique cuisines, and have earned widespread acclaim. But until recently, when the Taiwan Tourism Bureau launched its full-scale foods promotion, Taiwan has had no such advantages. Now the Bureau is determined to bring worldwide recognition to Taiwan’s Chinese cuisine, and elevate it to its rightful place on the global culinary stage.

The Taiwan Culinary Exhibition, an event held in the Taipei Convention and Exhibition Center each August that combines food exhibitions with showmanship, cooking classes, chef demonstrations, and product sales, has done much to elevate the image of Taiwanese cuisine. The event offers a variety of ways to experience the sights and flavors of local cookery, and has become popular among international tourists. This year, on August 18, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau will unveil a new way to shine a global spotlight on the island’s culinary offerings, called “Dining Al Fresco: Outdoor Banquet in Taiwan.”

The event will draw 1,000 diners to the southern city of Tainan, where they will enjoy a lavish banquet, prepared by some of Taiwan’s top chefs, while sitting in the shadow of the historic Anping Old Fort. In this dramatic style, overseas tourists will be introduced to the delights of a traditional outdoor banquet in a one-of-a-kind setting. Banquet chefs experienced in catering for large gatherings will provide fresh, original, and plentiful dishes. Most banquets will feature 10 to 12 courses, accompanied by entertainment. Fresh summer farm produce will feature heavily in the Tainan banquet, as will local ingredients from the southern Taiwan area.

The entertainment at the Outdoor Banquet will be as lavish and traditional as the food itself. Tainan has long been famous for its local handicrafts, which include elaborate paper houses and ships constructed to accompany souls to the afterworld, dough figurines, “scholar cakes” and other snacks, along with exquisite handmade lanterns that can take weeks to assemble. Tainan handicrafts demonstrations will feature throughout the course of the banquet.

A-list Asian celebrities, invited by the Tourism Bureau, are expected to take places of honor at the Outdoor Banquets. The 1,000 lucky diners will also enjoy by a series of cultural performances, including dragon and lion dances, which are favorites throughout Asia. In addition, reflecting the international nature of the event, booklets detailing event activities, handicrafts, entertainments, and the banquet offerings will be available in four languages: Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean.

The event is open to international tour groups, while visitors from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and elsewhere, who already know the richness and variety of Taiwan’s cuisine, are expected to be among the most enthusiastic participants.

In addition to food and entertainment, each visitor will also receive gift coupons from the Tourism Bureau, as well as souvenirs from the southern Taiwan area and a coupon booklet from the Tainan City Government for discounts at the city’s major shopping venues.

The inaugural Outdoor Banquet will be a groundbreaking new event as well as a trial run that is expected to kick-start the island’s incentives tourism business. In future, the promotion of similarly lavish outdoor banquets will be aimed at incentive tours sponsored by companies. Incentive tours tend to showcase the finest and most entertaining features of a given destination, and the Outdoor Banquet in Tainan certainly qualifies.

The Tourism Bureau has sketched out a tentative schedule for the August 18 banquet, which will be carefully choreographed. The event will begin at 4 p.m. with a tour of Anping Old Fort – a fortress built by the Dutch over 400 years ago to safeguard the former capital – followed by traditional handicraft demonstrations within its grounds. Seating for the banquet will begin at 6 p.m., with dishes served from 6:30; the feast will conclude at 9 p.m.

The Tourism Bureau recommends that visitors stay in Tainan for a day or two before and after the event, to fully absorb the atmosphere and sights of this charismatic southern city. Tainan shares some attractions in common with the rest of Taiwan, including good seafood, lively night markets, and friendly people, but it also has some unique attractions, including some of the best and most authentic temples in all of Asia. Tainan’s narrow streets and winding alleys are easy to navigate on foot, and the city holds rich rewards for adventurous visitors who wish to explore its temples, craft shops, and tea houses, and to enjoy its unique local snacks.