The government is to step up efforts to restore Taroko Gorge National Park after infrastructure there was severely damaged by an earthquake in April last year, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) said yesterday, adding that plans were under way to restore tourism access across the east coast after numerous disruptions due to natural disasters.
Taroko Gorge, a popular tourist attraction on the east coast, attracted about 4 million visitors per year before the region was affected by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake on April 3 last year, Taroko Gorge National Park Administration data showed.
Visitor numbers to the park have plummeted to about 210,000 since the quake, the data showed.
Photo: Wang Chin-yi, Taipei Times
Park officials have estimated that it would take at least seven years to fully restore some of the area’s popular scenic spots.
Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Lin Yi-chun (林憶君) told a hearing at the legislature in Taipei that the government should offer more concrete assistance to tourism operators in Hualien and Taitung counties, as their businesses are often disrupted by natural disasters.
Cho said that the government has offered subsidies to boost tourism on the east coast since the earthquake, particularly the tourism industry in Hualien, adding that the most important task is to ensure unobstructed access.
He cited the separate incident of a breached barrier lake that flooded Hualien’s Guangfu Township (光復) and destroyed the Mataian River Bridge (馬太鞍溪橋) during Super Typhoon Ragasa in September.
“Unfortunately, disasters brought by typhoons and barrier lakes have impeded access in Hualien. For example, a makeshift crossing of the Mataian River was washed out when the nation was hit by torrential rain brought by Typhoon Fung-wong earlier this month, with repairs not expected to be completed until Friday,” Cho said.
In Taroko, while some parts of the park have been reopened to the public following the quake, some of its iconic scenic spots, such as the Changchun Shrine (長春祠), remain closed, he said.
“My hope is that access to the shrine can be restored as soon as possible, and that the world can see its beauty and that of Taroko Gorge again,” he said.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said that the ministry is mainly in charge of repairing roads in the region.
“So far, road access is only available at five periods during the day because of slope instability,” Chen said.
The slopes near roads should be more stable in 2027, he added.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) said that facilities at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport should be “smarter” to match Taiwan’s reputation as technology powerhouse.
“Taiwan is known for producing semiconductors and developing artificial intelligence, but facilities at Taoyuan airport are far behind those at Narita Airport in Japan, Incheon Airport in South Korea and Singapore’s Changi Airport,” Chiu said.
Smart systems, including smart immigration clearance, traffic-flow forecasting and automated baggage check-in equipment should be implemented, he added.
Taoyuan airport has been in use for more than four decades, Cho said, adding that its operating terminals leave little room for large-scale renovations.
However, the north concourse of the third terminal would open for use at the end of this year and the ministry has plans to revamp the two operating terminals, he said.
“Once the third terminal is opened, there would be more scope to upgrade terminals One and Two,” Chen said.
The third terminal main building and southern concourse would begin operations by 2027, he added, citing Taoyuan International Airport Corp’s plans.
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