The park is a narrow cape some 1,700 meters in length, and contains world-class rock formations such as mushroom rocks, candle rocks, honeycombed rocks, ginger rocks, chessboard rocks, sea erosion caves and weathering rings, among others.
Despite the spectacular scenery, however, it failed to come on top of the visitors’ must-see list. But now all that has begun to change. Last year the total number of visitors to the park reached 1.26 million, and this year a projected 1.5 million visitors are expected.
One reason for the recent increase in popularity has to do with an influx of tourists from mainland China. Their presence is all the more surprising because it was unexpected. When Taiwan increased the daily quota of mainland Chinese tourists in late 2008, tour groups expected the guests to flock to Alishan and Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan and the National Palace Museum in Taipei, all of which are well known in the mainland.
The tour operators were surprised to find that the visitors enjoy Yehliu just as much. According to the most recent statistics, of the 1.26 million visitors to the park last year, 51 percent came from overseas. And among them 35 percent, or 450,000, came from mainland China, making Yehliu the second most popular destination for mainland tourists.
The park’s new management team has also contributed to Yehliu’s new-found popularity. In 2006, Neo-Space International Inc. won a 10-year contract for the operation of the park, with the privilege for another 10-year renewal. In its four-year management, the 40-employee company has been doing a remarkable job in transforming Yehliu into a must-see attraction for the mainlanders and bringing an unprecedented number of domestic and international patrons.
Perhaps one factor for Neo-Space’s success is, paradoxically, that it has never considered increasing income to be its main motive in managing the park. “Our philosophy in running Yehliu Geopark is three-fold: academic studies, environmental protection and profits,” said Marti C.C. Yang, the company’s general manager.
As if he might be misunderstood, Yang emphasized his point by saying, “Business profits have never been our top priority.”
In line with the company’s objectives, five out of its nine shareholders are from academia, including professors at National Taiwan University, Shih Shin University and Hsing Wu College.
Besides funding academic research in geology, oceanography, environmental protection, tourist needs and tourist behaviors, the company has allocated, over the past two years, more than 12 percent of its revenue to help students of all ages pursue projects involving the study of Yehliu, Yang said.
“Though small in size, we take pride in striving to become a world-class geological park,” Yang said, adding that “in order to achieve that goal, we have been making efforts in two areas.”
The first is the project of hosting a large-scale conference on the study of geological phenomenon and related subjects on a yearly basis. The company tested the waters by convening the “2009 East Asia Geopark International Conference” last April, during which 38 geological experts from Australia, India, Japan, Northern Ireland, Poland, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam shared their expertise in the conservation of world heritage, such as geological parks.
The second is in the area of cooperation with geological parks worldwide. Yehliu is seeking to establish sister relationships with other geoparks from around the world to promote exchanges and learning. Currently it is in such a relationship with Taining Global Geopark in mainland China’s Fujian Province.
The park also has a very important mission to undertake in terms of increasing Taiwan’s international presence. Despite Taiwan’s special international status, the park has been a regular participant of Global Network of Geoparks, an association under the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. The network currently has 57 members (33 in Europe, 20 in mainland China, one in Brazil, one in Iran, one in Malaysia and one in Australia).
Not only does the park attend meetings organized by the Global UNESCO Network of Geoparks, it constantly invites members of the organization to visit Taiwan. “We are very delighted to be able to become a platform to promote Taiwan’s image in the international community,” Yang said.
He noted that “with a total area of only 24 hectares, Yehliu is small compared to other geoparks in the world. Nevertheless, it is equipped with the most advanced facilities in the world.” Yang went on to say the park is the first to utilize the mobile tourism guide system with the help of a geological information system.
This new tool, similar to a GPS device, is connected with satellite and can provide prerecorded information about the park as the tourist moves around in different locations.
Geopark managers in Brazil, Japan, South Korea and Australia were very interested in this initiative. The Brazilian government has even invited Yehliu Geopark to make a presentation on its advanced device.
In spite of its popularity, the park is facing one dilemma—preserving natural wonders. Queen’s Head, a giant rock subjected to differential erosion caused by sea water, is the most popular and photographed site in Yehliu Geopark. Exposure all year round to the onslaught of wind, sun and rain has caused the neck of the Queen’s Head to become thinner. It is estimated that the neck will break within five to 10 years.
To cope with this inevitable and unfortunate situation, Neo-Space came up with the production of Queen’s Head II, an artificial rock that looks almost exactly the same as Queen’s Head. The only difference is the color, explained Yang, in that the color of the real Queen’s Head will change depending on the weather, but the color of Queen’s Head II stays the same all year round.
The park is also, to some extent, a victim of its own success. The constant stream of visitors can have a negative impact on the park’s ecology. To solve this problem, the management has adopted an innovative approach to monitor the number of visitors and avoid overcrowding. Upon entering the geopark, for example, one can decide which of the three areas of the park to go to first by checking the number of visitors on an electronic counter, the only such gadget found on the island.
In addition to its ecological beauty, Yehliu has other attractions as well. More than 300 types of birds visit Yehliu every year. It is the first and final place where migrating birds stop over before continuing their journey.
And because it is in effect a small peninsula, Yehliu is one of only two places in Taiwan where one can observe the sun rising over the ocean in the morning, and then, a few hours later, observe it setting into the ocean as well.
Not far from the park is also the Yehliu Ocean World, which contains an aquarium and regularly puts on shows with seals, dolphins and so on. Altogether, visiting the place is a delightful way to spend one’s time.
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