The Taiwan Tourism Bureau (TTB) and Penghu County Government have announced plans to promote the Penghu archipelago as part of its ‘Year of Bay Tourism’ initiative for 2018.

One of Taiwan’s best-kept secrets, Penghu is an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait. It’s a lesser-known destination for international tourists but the ‘Year of Bay Tourism’ programme is going to change just that.

Through the new initiative, the TTB, along with the Penghu County Government, will target to increase the sustainable development of its tourism resources, grow its tourism market, spread awareness on clean ecological activities, and promote the overall tourism in southern Taiwan by rejuvenating the national tourism development plan – Tourism 2020 – Taiwanese Sustainable Tourism Development Program.

Three major themes will be set as part of its overall marketing plan for 2018: Seasonal Events Highlights, Wonderful Tour GO Experience and Continuous Promotion.

According to TTB director-general Joe Chou, the efforts will be focused on creating a sightseeing resources inventory, integrating local industries, packaging tourism products, developing peripheral products, marketing locally and internationally, and further developing source markets to stimulate the tourism industry as a whole.

This September and October, Penghu will host the 2018 World Congress of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World (MBBW). The MBBW is a French-based group supported by UNESCO that has been expanding and covering bays in 25 countries.

As part of the 2018 World Congress, Penghu will host a number of conferences and forums, as well as a month-long carnival to welcome representatives from 38 bay areas, 40 cities and an anticipated 30,000 tourists.

Penghu is rich in sightseeing spots, marine culture, and is known as an international hub of competitive sailing for its strong winter winds. It’s also to get to the islands from other parts of Taiwan as it is accessible with regular flights from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Chiayi and Kaohsiung.

The Penghu County Government is currently focusing on maintaining clean beaches, clean sea, source reduction, and environmental education to be aligned with the main themes of the initiative. Local residents and tourists are being encouraged to reduce the use of over-packaged products and to properly dispose of waste.

This new programme will improve the archipelago’s visibility on an international scale and promote Taiwan’s marine assets to the world. So, if you’re planning on visiting Asia soon, this is would be the perfect time to visit the islands.