Hualien port welcomed 137,728 visitors in the first half of 2014, a sixteenfold increase from the same period last year, according to Taiwan International Ports Corp. Aug. 21.
Statistics from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications show Keelung remains Taiwan’s leading cruise port, with more than 330,000 passengers in the first half. This included 64,000 tourists on cross-strait trips, up 79 percent year on year. Kaohsiung fell to third place from second over the period.
“We are aiming to capitalize on cruise industry trends to become a top international tourist port,” Hualien port’s General Manager Liang Shan-bo said.
New facilities and an expanded transport network are reasons for the port’s success. Much of the increase in passenger number at the eastern Taiwan port was due to a new Suao to Hualien route served by the high-speed Nachan Rera, which carried 82,000 visitors in the period.
“A new passenger terminal was added at wharf No. 23 to facilitate international tourist arrivals,” Hualien port official Yu Hsieu-tze said.
According to Yu, the harbor authority also dredged the harbor to a depth of 14 meters to allow liners of 150,000 metric tons to anchor. “This is part of the overall plan of transforming the port from an industrial facility dealing mostly with aggregates, sand and stone to a truly multifunctional harbor. We are working closely with Hualien County Government to promote tourism in the area,” Wu said.
Hualien is located on the mountainous eastern coast of Taiwan. It attracted nearly 2.5 million tourists in the first quarter of 2014, drawn by such famous sights as Taroko National Park. (SSC-SDH)
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