Premier Jiang Yi-huah led a delegation of central government officials to Kinmen County today for a first-hand look at tourism development projects on the outlying archipelago.
After hearing a presentation from county officials, the premier commended the Kinmen government for its comprehensive tourism promotion efforts and pledged the Executive Yuan's full support for plans to open Dadan and Erdan islets to civilian use.
Kinmen has an abundance of unique attractions, Jiang said. A historic battle ground, it is now the site of a beautiful national park and an important town for the preservation of original Minnan culture. Kinmen will continue to make use of its natural blessings and resources to draw more visitors, such as by promoting green tourism.
Situated only kilometers from mainland China, this treasured piece of land will serve as a key location for promoting cross-strait interaction, the premier continued. Efforts to develop its industries must be balanced by the conservation of its natural environment and cultural history. The central government will lend full support to the local government and work with all sectors to make Kinmen into a top travel destination, Jiang pledged.
After the briefing, the delegation headed to Jinhu Township to inspect a build-operate-transfer project for a new commercial hotel complex housing the largest duty-free center in Asia. Since its trial opening in May, the center has drawn many mainland and other tourist groups for shopping excursions and has brought in NT$2.28 billion (US$76.36 million) in revenues for the government, including royalties and sales tax.
The complex will also create several thousand jobs for Kinmen residents while providing local college students with work-study opportunities. Using the "international boutique" business model, the complex is expected to become a landmark facility for Kinmen's industrial and tourism development.
Over the years, a gradual reduction of the military presence in Kinmen has seen many military camps become idle or unused. Due to the historical value associated with these camps, the Kinmen Defense Command has reached an agreement with the county government to first discuss the preservation or conversion of these facilities into other resources before handing them over.
The Shishan (Mt. Lion) Howitzer Front in Jinsha Township, for instance, was converted into a cannon theme park in June 2011. In the three short years since its opening in July 2011, the park has attracted over 400,000 mainland and other tourists.
Liuying Military Camp No. 1 was also transferred to the local government and converted into an infantry military experience park in 2008. Today, Premier Jiang along with Kinmen Magistrate Li Wo-shi and other county officials toured the site and received a briefing from Kinmen's Tourism Department about the park's special features and operating plans. Original camp facilities were used to build fun games and challenges including a laser maze, a laser gun shooting range, and various climbing and scaling obstacles. After inspecting each station and trying his hand at the laser gun range, the premier said the park is certain to be popular with the public and urged local officials to plan the park's future with careful thought.