The Tourism Bureau yesterday said that having a sex-themed park built in Yunlin County was “just an idea,” adding that it still needs to discuss the proposal with county government officials.
The idea, proposed by the Southwest National Scenic Area Administration, generated heated discussion online after details of the plan were posted on the administration’s Web site on Monday night.
Based on the description, the administration said it wanted to establish a “romantic boulevard” in central and southern Taiwan, with one of the tourist attractions to be a park called the “Garden of Eden.”
The administration said that the park would have sculptures based on sexual organs, as well as of couples in various sexual positions, adding that it would be built near the Hukou Wetlands, Yiwu Farm and other tourist attractions.
The park would be designed to deliver a visual punch, like the Jeju Loveland park in South Korea, the administration said.
In response, some netizens said the Web site must have been hacked, while others said the idea was “way out of line.”
Southwest National Scenic Area Administration Director Cheng Rong-fong (鄭榮峰) confirmed that there is a proposal for the park.
However, the idea still needs to be discussed with Yunlin’s county commissioner and deputy county commissioners.
It was inappropriate for staff to have made public an idea that has yet to be finalized, Cheng added.
He had the content removed on Monday night.
Yunlin Deputy County Commissioner Chang Huang-chen (張皇珍) said the proposal was aired way ahead of time, adding that people in Yunlin live a simple life in general and would probably not like the idea.
Chang said that the administration should conduct more evaluations before suggesting ideas to avoid having a negative influence on the community.
The Tourism Bureau issued a statement saying that the proposal has been removed from the administration’s Web site.
The bureau said that the online description of the proposal contained excessively bold statements that have confused and misled visitors to the Web site, adding that it would seek opinions from all parties on the matter.
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