Taipei, July 13 (Central News Agency) – Dayan Island, a tiny island part of Taiwan’s outlying Kinmen Archipelago, will reopen to tourists on a trial basis from July 27 to October 31 after a two-year closure.
Dadan Island, with an area of 0.79 square kilometers, is located about 12 kilometers southwest of Kinmen Island and just 4.4 kilometers from Xiamen City, Fujian Province, China. During the Cold War, it was on the front line of military conflict between Taiwan and the Chinese Communist Party.
It is the largest of a group of small islands that includes Eldan Island, Sandan Island, and several other islands.
Datan was first opened to the public on a trial basis from July 26 to October 31, 2018, and officially opened as a tourist destination in March 2019.
It was subsequently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but was temporarily reopened to the public for two and a half months in 2022.
The Kinmen county government announced that it will work with private businesses to incorporate the county’s “Blue Highway” sea cruises into the reopening of Dayan.
The Kinmen government announced plans to invite ferry operators to propose tour-related services to Dadan Island in December 2023, after which two companies were given permission to operate tours to the island from July 27 to October 31.
As well as visiting Dayan Island itself, visitors can also experience a sea cruise, the Kinmen Tourism Bureau said, adding that it hopes the reopening of Dayan Island will attract more tourists and revitalise Kinmen’s tourism sector.
Meanwhile, Kinmen County Magistrate Chen Fuhai said the reopening of Dayan Island had been carefully considered, including arranging for tour guides to return for training to give visitors a deeper understanding of the island’s history and natural ecosystem.
(Hong Xueguan, Ke Lin)
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