Taiwan Today

Indigenous cultures and varied ecosystems offer relaxation and calm for international visitors.

On April 18, the Lalashan Giant Trees Area, located in Taoyuan City’s Fuxing District in northern Taiwan, became the country’s 19th national forest recreation area established by the Cabinet-level Council of Agriculture’s Forestry Bureau (FB). At an altitude of 1,400 to 1,900 meters, the cloud forest belt is home to 24 ancient red and yellow cypress trees, five of which are over 1,000 years old. The forest is also a sanctuary for a rich variety of protected species including Formosan black bears, blue magpies, yellow-throated martens, crab-eating mongooses and salamanders. 

  Lalashan was the first recreation area to be planned and operated jointly by the FB and local community, which in this case is made up of Indigenous Atayal tribe members. The bureau provides tour guide training programs for residents to empower their participation in the area’s development and to boost economic resilience. The resulting ecotourism offers visitor experiences that emphasize wildlife conservation and the environment. “Taiwan’s competitive advantages in developing ecotourism are its biological and cultural diversity,” said Shia Jung-sheng (夏榮生), director of the FB’s Hsinchu Forest District Office. “National forest recreation areas are a perfect vacation spot for those keen to appreciate beauty, observe wildlife and learn about local cultures.” The director added that Taiwan’s national forest recreation areas, distributed over low, medium and high elevations with varied climates, provide habitats for a wide variety of animal and plant life. Historic trails with breathtaking scenery traverse mountains, valleys, waterfalls and streams, immersing hikers in the wild and transporting them away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

  To promote ecotourism in these areas, the FB has improved service quality and facilities like visitor centers while collaborating with tour operators to deliver exceptional experiences. Shia’s office, for instance, has formed strategic alliances with leading travel agencies including Taipei City-based Comfort Travel Service Co. and Lion Travel Service Co. and New Taipei City’s Ecotour Taiwan Travel Service Co. In addition, hotels, restaurants and transport providers have created all-inclusive package tours that appeal to a wide tourist demographic.

Wilderness Walks
Ecotour Taiwan designs small group tours themed around activities and attractions such as bird watching, farms and orchards, forests, Indigenous villages, mountains and small towns. It offers options for slow travel that range from one to three days and have well-defined activity levels. James Huang (黃俊翰), its deputy CEO, echoed Shia’s views and said Taiwan is rich in natural assets that are easily transformed into premier ecotourism destinations. “Located accessibly, national forest recreation areas provide terrific opportunities for visitors to deepen their connection with nature and experience calm,” he said. “They’re also great places to promote environmental education.” Huang believes ecotourism must be based on local communities to achieve optimum economic, environmental and social sustainability. “Ecotourism is an experience-based and learning-focused form of tourism that takes into account both the ecology and participation of local residents,” he said. “It adds value to ecosystems, raises conservation awareness and fosters respect for local cultures.”

  Where it offers national forest recreation area itineraries, Ecotour Taiwan partners with the FB. According to Huang, the top destinations are Alishan in the southern county of Chiayi, famous for its sea of clouds, sunrise, hiking trails and Tsou tribe traditions; Aowanda in central Taiwan’s Nantou County, renowned for the sight of its maple trees turning bright red in the fall, light shows by fireflies in the spring and the ethnic diversity of the Atayal, Bunun and Sediq tribes; and Taoyuan’s Dongyanshan with its abundant birds, blue-green Japanese cedar foliage and 30 million-year-old marine fossils. In particular, the cultural practices and stories shared with visitors by local Indigenous peoples are a big draw.

Other Ecotour Taiwan destinations include Heping Island Park off northern Taiwan’s Keelung City, where visitors can view unusual rock formations along the seashore and enjoy diving and hiking; the  Atayal village in New Taipei City’s Wulai District; and Taroko National Park in eastern Taiwan’s Hualien County, which boasts majestic vistas of canyons, cliffs and mountains where the Truku tribe lives.

Huang’s agency seeks to partner with eco-friendly hospitality and transport providers as well as locally owned businesses to support the economy in the immediate area. “The tours we arrange are led by guides with an in-depth knowledge of local flora, fauna and cultural heritage,” he said. “Our core value is to positively impact the environment and communities while providing tourists with authentic and fulfilling experiences.”

Tranquility Wins
Leisure farms operating across Taiwan are also a successful form of ecotourism, helping preserve habitats and species while creating an income stream for locals. Rural accommodation, food and beverage outlets, and activities offer an alternative to conventional hospitality industry venues.
  A prime example is Shangrila Leisure Farm in the northeastern county of Yilan. Since opening in 1988, it has attracted many domestic and overseas visitors. Its chair, Chang Ching-lai (張清來), who took over the land from his father, is dubbed “the godfather of Taiwan’s leisure farms” for spearheading their development and improving economic opportunity in agricultural communities. For young people, this offers not only an incentive to return to their hometowns, but also career development through Chang’s free training programs in hospitality management. Surrounded by lush green hills and mountains, Shangrila features European-style wooden villas with panoramic views of rivers and valleys and is home to a broad range of plants and animals. Apart from guided nature tours, the farm holds a variety of evening activities for both adults and children, such as learning how to play with traditional spinning tops, making glutinous rice balls, puppet theater shows and DIY craft classes. Shangrila was also among the first group of tourism businesses to receive halal certification in 2011, demonstrating its determination to attract international Muslim tourists. Currently, its largest overseas visitor demographic hails from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

  Steven Yeo from Singapore has visited Taiwan seven times but is never bored as he thoroughly enjoys the food, hospitality and scenery. “After a jam-packed itinerary across Taiwan, we took it slowly by spending the last day at Shangrila Leisure Farm, and it turned out to be my favorite place,” said Yeo of his eight-day April trip. “The whole ambience was relaxing. I found peace of mind in the green, spacious environment.” The Singaporean added that Taiwan has great natural resources, and leisure farms are a strong attraction for those who, like him, have lived in cities all their lives.

From national forest recreation areas, Indigenous villages and mountains to leisure farms, Taiwan is a treasure trove of beauty and cultural depth proffering visitors a mix of climates, landscapes and heritage at each destination. Tourism industry representatives like Huang and Chang are optimistic about the prospects of further ecotourism development. “Ecotourism is gaining traction around the world as more people understand the need to maintain an undeveloped environment and unwind in nature to counterbalance their usual hectic schedules,” Huang said. Similarly, Chang reported that the concept of spending leisure time in the wild is trending strongly upwards. “I have full confidence that ecotourism will become mainstream, and we’ll capture a bigger slice of the global tourism market due to our commitment to the environment, ecosystem, culture and education,” he said. 
 

Write to Kelly Her at kher@mofa.gov.tw