With only a few days left in the Lunar New Year break, those wishing to visit prime tourism destinations may be interested in ideas from the National Science Council (NSC) and the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA).
The NSC recently named the Eastern Rift Valley National Scenic Area (花東縱谷國家風景區) as the nation's most relaxing vacation hotspot, while the EPA named its 25 cleanest tourist destinations.
Yuan Shaw-ying (
Attractions in central Taiwan include the 17km coastline of Hsinchu City, Hsinchu County's Mangrove Ecosystem Reserve, Citizen Square in Miaoli County and Wenhsin Forest Park (文心) in Taichung City, Yuan said.
Southern gems include the Anping Tree House Ruin (安平樹屋) in Tainan City, the west bank of Kaohsiung City's Love River and South Bay Recreation Area in Kenting, Pingtung County, he added.
Travelers in eastern Taiwan may wish to visit Ilan County's Plum Blossom Lake, Chihpen (知本) hot springs in Taitung County, or Seven Star Basin (七星潭) in Hualien County, Yuan said.
"National parks in Taiwan all offer different geographic features and local culture," said National Taiwan University professor Lin Yan-chou (林晏州), who headed an NSC study on the use of national scenic areas.
"Taiwanese choose places for their vacations according to cost [time and money] -- the longer the travel time, the less likely they will visit; as well as the destination's image," he said.
Topping the list of national scenic areas was the Eastern Rift Valley National Scenic Area spanning Hualien and Taitung counties. It was found to have the "most relaxing" effect on people, Lin said, adding that its scenery, friendly communities and convenient transport contributed to its popularity.
The adjacent East Coast National Scenic Area (東海岸國家風景區) received similar reviews, but fell short in terms of cleanliness and was thought to be more expensive, Lin said.
In central Taiwan, the Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area (日月潭國家風景區) was judged to offer pleasant weather, interesting Aboriginal festivals and local delicacies.
The Alishan National Scenic Area (阿里山國家風景區) won tourists' hearts with easy-to-obtain information, but this was spoiled by expensive accommodation and a lack of outdoor activities, Lin said.
The Matsu National Scenic Area offered fun nightlife, interesting architecture and a unique lifestyle, Lin said.
"But the unreliable weather and aloofness of locals may put some tourists off," he said.
A list of the EPA's recommendations is at ivy3.epa.gov.tw/cleanup_taiwan/index.html.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
MORE RETALIATION: China would adopt a long-term pressure strategy to prevent other countries or future prime ministers following in Sanae Takaichi’s steps, an academic said Taiwan should maintain communications with Japan, as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is to lead a revision of security documents, Taiwanese academics said yesterday. Tensions have risen between Japan and China over remarks by Takaichi earlier this month that the use of force against Taiwan would constitute a “survival-threatening situation” for Japan. Prospect Foundation president Lai I-chung (賴怡忠) yesterday said Takaichi’s stance regarding Taiwan is the same as past Japanese prime ministers, but her position is clearer than that of her predecessors Fumio Kishida and Shigeru Ishiba. Although Japan views a “Taiwan contingency” as a “survival-threatening situation,” which would allow its military to
RSS