The coastal town of Tamshui north of Taipei is the most popular recreational destination in the country, according to the results of an opinion survey released yesterday.
The telephone survey of 18,807 randomly chosen local citizens aged 12 and over, conducted by the Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications between January and December last year, explored local people's travel preferences.
Survey results showed that the respondents most liked to visit Tamshui for its convenient traffic and beautiful natural scenery.
The other popular destinations making the top-10 list were the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium in Pingtung County, the Chihpen Spa Scenic Area in Taitung County, the Chichi railway branch in Nantou County, Sun Moon Lake in Nantou County, the Shihlin night market in Taipei City, Chingching Recreational Farm in Nantou County, Ocean Park in Hualien County, Puli Township in Nantou County and the Alishan Mountain Resort, in that order.
Tourism officials said domestic travel has become increasingly popular following the implementation of the five-day work week.
To revive the nation's tourism sector, which was hit by SARS last year, the government has focused on boosting domestic travel.
Domestic travel accounts for more than 60 percent of the nation's tourism revenue, according to Tourism Bureau statistics.
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