Foreign cruise liner set to embark on first island-hopping Taiwan tour

2018/03/15

U.K.-based luxury cruise operator Noble Caledonia is preparing to launch a nine-day tour of Taiwan and its outlying islands, marking the first time a foreign travel company has offered such an itinerary, according to the Maritime Port Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications March 13.
 
 Around 100 tourists who have signed up for the package are set to arrive in Taiwan from the U.K. by air March 15. They are scheduled to visit major attractions in Taipei City such as National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, National Palace Museum and Taipei 101 before boarding the Caledonian Sky cruise liner March 17 at Keelung Port in northern Taiwan.
 
 The ship will first dock at Taichung City in central Taiwan and then visit the outlying islands of Kinmen and Penghu. Afterward, it will return to Taiwan proper, stopping at Tainan City, Taitung County and Hualien County in the southern, southeastern and eastern regions of the country, respectively. After completing the Taiwan portion of the trip, the liner will complete a six-day tour of Japan.
 
 Highlights of the itinerary include celebrated natural wonders like Sun Moon Lake in central Taiwan’s Nantou County, Penghu Columnar Basalt Nature Reserve, Sanxiantai beach and coastal area in Taitung and Taroko Gorge in Hualien. Also featured are historic sites such as Mt. Lion Howitzer Front in Kinmen as well as Confucian Temple and Koxinga Shrine in Tainan.
 
 MPB Deputy Director-General Chen Pin-chuan said the package underscores the growing popularity of the country’s cruise tourism market as well as the abundance and diversity of attractions nationwide. By visiting ports on the outlying islands of Kinmen and Penghu, the 100-plus capacity cruise liner will offer tourists a comprehensive view of Taiwan’s rich culture and natural beauty, he added.
 
 According to Taiwan International Ports Corp., state-run operator of the country’s five major harbors, the nation’s cruise industry possesses significant growth potential. The latest TIPC statistics show passenger volume at Taiwan’s ports rose 32.6 percent year on year to 1.14 million in 2017.

Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=18&post=130927)