The opening of the record-breaking Hsuehshan Tunnel (雪山隧道) has greatly reduced the travel time between Taipei and Ilan, but not all tourism operators in Ilan County will benefit, industry veterans said yesterday.
The has shortened the driving time between Taipei and Ilan from two hours to around 30 minutes -- a reduction hailed as a golden opportunity for boosting the county's economy.
Ilan is known for its hot springs, scenic beauty and seafood delicacies, with a massive number of small-scale hotels and hostels established to cash in on the holiday trade.
PHOTO: CNA
Restaurants will be the biggest beneficiary of the more convenient travel time, according to Ilan County Government.
"Ilan has 13 harbors. Gourmets can savor fresh and `value for money' seafood shipped back every day for a quarter of the price charged in Taipei," said Yiu Wen-hsiang (游文祥), director general of the county government's business and travel bureau, during a phone interview.
He expects many Taipei residents to travel to Ilan for dinner, even on weekdays, and drive back home the same night.
Ilan received 3.5 million tourists last year, thanks to the local government's successful marketing strategies, which promoted activities such as the Ilan International Children's Folklore and Folkgame Festival and the Ilan Green Expo.
To celebrate the launch of the tunnel, the county's more than 200 tourism operators, including 35 hotels, 50 hostels, 15 leisure farms and 6 government-run scenic resorts, have joined hands to offer discounts or free entry until next Thursday.
But for some, this is not all good news, said Roget Hsu (許高慶), secretary general of the Travel Agent Association of Taiwan (旅行公會全國聯合會).
"When traffic is not convenient, hotels' occupancy rates usually go up. Now the situation may be the opposite," he noted.
While most might skip staying overnight in Ilan when traveling between Taipei and Hualien in eastern Taiwan, Hsu urged the county's hotel operators to focus on promoting one-day tour packages while improving the quality of their leisure and entertainment facilities to tap into potential customers in central and southern Taiwan.
Carrie Li (李慧珊), director of sales and marketing at Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi in Ilan, echoed his view.
She said the launch of the tunnel turns Ilan into a virtual suburb of Taipei and that the hotel market would have an opportunity to attract hot spring lovers who could choose Ilan over the capital's Beitou, Wulai and Yangmingshan regions.
"Small hotels may need to make adjustments and increase the ratio of their leisure services, rather than simply offering accommodation," she said.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work