With the nation’s borders remaining virtually closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and amid an increasing number of local travelers, passenger traffic at Penghu Airport in the outlying Penghu County hit 16,686 on Sunday, a 40 percent spike from a year earlier, airport statistics showed.
It was also the highest number of passengers served in a single day since the airport opened 43 years ago, the data showed.
Local environmental groups have said that the surge in tourists has exceeded the island’s estimated environmental carrying capacity of 15,000 people.
Photo: Liu Yu-ching, Taipei Times
Prior to the launch of the second phase of domestic “disease prevention tours” on July 1, the airport drew up plans to ensure that it operates smoothly amid the expected surge in flights, including separating the foot traffic of arriving and departing passengers, and having three security check lines for departing passengers, it said.
It also asked airlines to increase the number of check-in counters.
A total of 4,009 visitors also accessed the island through Magong Harbor on Sunday.
Photo: Liu Yu-ching, Taipei Times
However, the surge in visitor numbers has disrupted the lives of local residents, with many places reporting low water pressure and an acute shortage of hotel rooms, rental vehicles and tour buses.
Penghu County Government statistics showed that the island received about 12,000 travelers per day.
With most of the tourists spending at least three days on the island, two of the three days would be an overlapping period, where the island would have to accommodate 24,000 people daily.
That comes close to the maximum number of travelers that the hotels on the island can accommodate, which is 26,000 per day.
The surge in tourists has taken a toll on travel quality, with famous attractions, such as “Moses Parting the Sea,” being swamped by people.
The county government said that tourists are encouraged to book accommodations and arrange transportation in advance, adding that travel agents can help disperse the crowds by arranging of different travel routes.
Independent travelers to the island can also use two travel routes that are accessible through the Tourism Bureau’s Taiwan Shuttle Bus Service (台灣好行).
Hoteliers have also been requested to conserve water and avoid unnecessary water use.
In related news, as of Monday, 3,964 passengers had transferred flights through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
The government began allowing transit passengers on June 25.
Eighty percent of the transit passengers were Southeast Asian travelers headed to the US and Canada, airport statistics showed.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan
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