President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Thursday said the government would build four marinas to promote tourism.
“Fishing ports can not only serve as hubs for commercial fishing but also as bases for recreational yachting,” Ma said at a promotional award ceremony honoring the nation’s top 10 “most interesting” fishing ports.
Emphasizing the nation’s rich marine resources, Ma said the government would lift obsolete restrictions on coastal areas to allow tourism that “does not harm the environment or ecology.”
During the Martial Law era, Taiwan heavily restricted coastal development, which Ma said resulted in many people viewing the sea with a mixture of fear and awe.
But times have changed, he said, adding that fishing ports and their surroundings could be developed for sightseeing and other recreational purposes.
“The newly selected top 10 most interesting fishing ports are expected to attract both local and foreign visitors,” he said.
The government will build upscale docks for tourism at four ports: Keelung’s Badouzih (八斗子), which will have a “flagship class” dock; and Yilan’s Wushih (烏石), Tainan’s Anping (安平) and Taichung’s Wuci (梧棲).
“The marinas will be able to accommodate 190 recreational yachts,” Ma said. “By then, Taiwan will not just be Asia’s No. 1 and the world’s No. 5 yacht maker, but also be a country open to yachting.”
Despite the global economic downturn, Ma said Taiwan had seen a nearly 13 percent increase in the number of inbound visitors this year as of the end of last month, with more than 3.94 million visits.
The number of visits for sightseeing purposes rose 28.46 percent, while the number of tourists from Europe saw the greatest gain at 18 percent year-on-year. Visitors from the US and New Zealand increased 5 percent and 5.4 percent, respectively.
“The total number of visits is expected to reach an all-time high of 4.2 million this year,” Ma said.
The selection of the nation’s “most interesting” fishing ports was sponsored by the Council of Agriculture.
The results were based on an online vote and the opinions of a panel of judges academics and others who evaluated ports’ facilities, resources, cultural heritage and market potential.
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