The number of tourists visiting Hsinchu City’s six main attractions grew by 24 percent in the past two years after many were renovated, the city government said on Sunday, adding that the aim is to become a new tourism highlight.
The six attractions are Shihbajianshan (十八尖山), the Temple of the City God (城隍廟), Nanliao Fishing Harbor (南寮舊漁港), Splendor Coast (風情海岸), Green Grass Lake (青草湖) and the Cingcing Grasslands (青青草原).
The number of visitors to the sites rose from 7.2 million in 2016 to 8.99 million last year, while satisfaction rates reached nearly 90 percent, the city government said, citing a two-year survey conducted by Chung Hua University and a technology company it commissioned.
A terrazzo playground slide at Cingcing is the longest one of its kind in northern Taiwan and is popular with children, Department of City Marketing Director Yan Chang-sheng (顏章聖) said, adding that the grasslands have had more than 940,000 visitors in two years.
The city government has budgeted more than NT$1.1 billion (US$35.6 million) to renovate Nanliao Harbor, where a large stairway designed to look like fish scales is a hotspot for social media check-ins, while a beach that opened in June has become a favorite among children, Yan said.
The number of visitors to the harbor from April to August exceeded 2 million, up 50 percent from the same period last year, he said.
The city government has worked hard to refurbish tourist spots suffering from a lack of maintenance and added features, Yan said.
Hsinchu Mayor Lin Chih-chien (林智堅) has been promoting small-scale city tours to attract visitors from other municipalities, the city government said.
Over the past three years, the city government has staged art festivals and increased collaboration with local hotel operators to add momentum to the city’s tourism, it said.
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