TAIPEI – Taiwanese tourists who become infected with the H1N1 influenza while traveling in South Korea will receive NTD 100,000 (USD 3,050) each this summer.

In an effort to promote travel during the peak season, the Korea National Tourism Organization (KTO) will offer the compensation between July and August this year, with the H1N1 New Strain Influenza Cash Relief Program.

The promotion is the first of its kind sing the swine flu outbreak, which according KTO’s strategic marketing manager Lee Xianqing, based in Taipei, has caused many Taiwanese tourists to cancel their travel. Plans. “Korea boasts many large-scale amusement parks as well as scenic areas that are family-friendly, and with the recent favorable exchange rate, KTO is hoping to boost travel by offering travelers peace of mind,” said Lee.

Beginning July 1, Taiwanese tourists that book round-trip direct flights to South Korea via Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Eva Airways or TransAsia Airways will be given NTD 3,050 compensation should they catch the H1N1 flu during their stay, said Lee.

KTO, in conjunction with travel agencies, will also provide face masks and hand sanitizers for visitors.

Meanwhile, with the Chinese mainland facing an increased risk of a mass outbreak of swine flu, the China National Tourist Office (CNTO) in Taipei today announced its own promotion.

From June 21 to September 30, Taiwanese tourists who contract H1N1 influenza while visiting the Chinese mainland will receive a sincere apology, two boxes of a Hainan province local specialty, 1,000 loyalty marketing membership points, and two nights on the VIP floor at selected hospitals.

Flu victims will also be eligible for a H1NI Influenza Lucky Draw. The grand prize winner will win a date with his or her choice of three celebrities: Edison Chen, ‘Happy Girls’ contestant Gong Mi, or the founding chairman of Hong Kong’s Democratic Party, Martin Lee.

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TOKYO — This week, Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso presented the American President Obama with three of his former mistresses, the latest unwelcome diplomatic gift in a trend that has reached alarming proportions. Since Obama gave British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a set of 25 classic American movies to mark his historic visit to the White House on March 5 this year, world leaders have been inspired to insult their rivals in increasingly vulgar fashion with cheap gifts.

Diplomatic gifts are never rejected, no matter how tasteless or undesirable, because non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to the giver. However, with regard to the DVD box set, the British press has pointed out this seems like a highly impersonal and trivial gift – especially for a man who is not known to be a movie buff and is half-blind to boot. What’s more, the DVDs are coded Region 1 and can’t be played in the UK. Truly, diplomatic gift-giving is rife with danger: Obama’s wife, Michelle Obama, is said to be suing for divorce.

Historically, a diplomatic present must be valuable without being ostentatious, thoughtful without seeming sleazy. A gift says much about the giver and what the giver thinks about the recipient.
As such, several recent exchanges are worthy of notice. On March 10, Polish President Lech Kaczyński gave Russian President Dmitry Medvedev a pair of socks, a gesture that some observers said made a point about the gas shortages in Europe this past winter. On March 12, Medvedev, in turn, presented Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko with a single bullet, a not-so-veiled warning to tow the Kremlin line on energy issues.

The trend has quickly spread to Asia. On March 16, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh traded spitballs with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and on March 18, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il gave South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak the finger and got a rigorous mooning, albeit from a distance of 10km, in return.

Since learning of Obama’s marital woes, the Japanese Prime Minister reportedly feels very badly about the faux pas and intends to send the US President a RMB 25 gift card good for iTune downloads.

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