The trip, sponsored by the Taiwanese government, was designed to showcase products made in Taiwan.

Because we were there for several days, our hosts decided to take us to several tourist destinations in and around Taipei, the island nation's largest city.

One of the visits, we were told, was going to be to a local theme park. My colleagues and I had no idea what to expect. Did Taiwan have something akin to Disneyland? Were there roller coasters and merry-go-rounds involved?

We soon found that this was a theme park like no other I'd ever been to. On the grounds of the park were models of landmarks from all over the world.

The European journalists were smiling when we walked past the miniature Eiffel Tower, and the Asian journalists were checking out the model of the Great Wall of China. One of my cohorts from the United States and I posed for our friends at the replica of Mount Rushmore.

Because we were there during a holiday period, there were hundreds of children at the park, bounding all around the famed landmarks. I thought, "What a great way to teach kids about the world and show them some of these important landmarks up close."

When I returned to the United States, I researched the popularity of parks like these and discovered there are several of them worldwide. Today, there are about 40 of them in 25 countries.

Among them are Madurodam, which opened in the Netherlands in 1952, Minimundus, which opened in Austria in 1959, Italia in Miniatura in Rimini, Italy, opened in 1972, Tobu World Square — considered by many to be the best of the best — which opened in Nikko, Japan, in 1993. And the newest additions, Shimson, Israel's Park Mini Israel, opened in 2003, and Seoul, South Korea's Korea in Miniature, opened in 2004.

There aren't any such miniparks in the United States. But a company is setting up shop in Las Vegas to build the first American-based park at a resort planned in the southern part of the city.

Edward van der Meer is the founder of America in Miniature LLC, which recently signed a letter of intent to develop a 10-acre indoor park in conjunction with the Las Vegas WET project, a 200-acre resort that developers say will include a water park and an indoor ski hill, five entertainment venues, three hotels, condominiums and a 100,000-square-foot casino.

Las Vegas WET has an impressive team of executives who cut their tourism teeth with Disney and Universal, Harrah's and MGM Mirage. But the company has yet to announce its site or explained its financial backing.

Likewise, America in Miniature hasn't disclosed its financial backing, leaving some to question whether the park will be the real deal or just a dream.

But what a dream it is.

Craig Hudson, vice president of marketing and sales for America in Miniature, said the park would be built on a scale of 1 to 24, meaning that it would have a faux Empire State Building four stories high, a St. Louis Gateway Arch 26 feet high and a White House 4 feet high and 20 feet wide.

"We're looking at replicating some public buildings, which we can do with no problem, some replicas that we would need approval to duplicate and some with sponsorships, which would enhance the visitor experience," said Hudson.

A sponsorship, he said, could be something interactive, like a replication of a candy factory that spews samples to park visitors.

Having the park indoors has a two-fold benefit. Not only would it be attractive to visitors during the hot summer days and comfortable when it gets cold on December and January nights, but park operators also can control the lighting environment.

"A lot of people love Las Vegas by day, when you can see all resorts and the interesting features they have," Hudson said. "But at night, Las Vegas becomes magical."

So, the plan at America in Miniature is to control the lighting so that during a guest's visit it could turn from day to night and back to day again.

The list of prospective landmarks at the Las Vegas park is impressive, with nearly 100 listed for possible models. They include the Statue of Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge, the U.S. Capitol, Mount Vernon, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park's Old Faithful geyser, Fort Knox, the Alamo, Hearst Castle, Seattle's Space Needle, Devil's Tower and, of course, the Las Vegas Strip.

Hudson said the models would be built by craftsmen from around the world and shipped to Las Vegas for final assembly. Under current plans, park guests can walk around the models and take a boat ride through the park.

"We even hope people will get married here someday," Hudson said. "They can marry in the park and honeymoon all across the United States."

Hudson said the company is planning to begin construction in 2008 with an opening sometime in 2011. Details of the opening, he said, could be dependent on Las Vegas WET's plans.

In other tourism news:

The union has been negotiating with the airline for more than a year. Labor deals have been one of the biggest difficulties the airline has experienced in its merger with America West Airlines.

The culture and experience levels of longtime US Airways employees, most of them in the East, and the group from the relatively young America West, mostly in the West, have vastly different start-up dates and seniority leading to some dissension in the integration of the airlines.

With the machinists on board, US Airways now must get contracts with its pilots and two flight attendant groups.

Reno airport board: It's no surprise that tourism drives airports in our state, so consequently, it's no stretch that the new chairman of the nine-member board that sets policy for the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority is someone associated with the ski industry.

John Wagnon, vice president of marketing and sales for Vail Resorts Inc., and Heavenly Mountain Resort, was elected chairman of the board that oversees the nation's 59th busiest commercial airport.

Wagnon also serves as the president of Ski Lake Tahoe, a co-op marketing organization for Lake Tahoe's seven largest ski resorts, and he has served on boards for the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority and the California Travel and Tourism Commission.

He replaced Larry Martin, a 12-year board member, as chairman in July.

Dinged by Delta: In an effort to drive traffic to its Web site, www.delta.com, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has doubled the fee for customers to buy tickets through reservation agents to $20.

The airline added another set of fees on other services on Aug. 1, making its charges about $5 higher than competitors.

Delta also raised the cost of voluntary itinerary changes and the cost of redeeming a frequent-flier trip within 20 days of departure from $50 to $75. The charges are waived for the airline's best customers.