TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Expecting an influx of visitors to Alishan National Forest Recreation Area during the New Year holiday, temporary parking spaces and shuttle bus stops will be set up along a section of Provincial Highway 18 (Alishan Highway).
Chiayi Forest District Office Deputy Director Lee Ting-chung (李定忠) told CNA that the limit on the number of visitors allowed to enter the recreation area due to the COVID-19 pandemic was revoked in November. As more than 10,000 people have flocked to Alishan in past years to watch the first sunrise of the new year, officials have made plans to deal with the expected crowd, Lee said.
Due to very limited space for parking in the forest recreation area, the Directorate General of Highways has prepared parking spaces between kilometer marks 89 and 95 of Provincial Highway 18 from Friday (Dec. 31) to Sunday (Jan. 2), Lee said. In addition, Chiayi Forest District Office will put in place 10 shuttle bus stops along this section to provide free transportation to and from the recreation area during this period, CNA cited the deputy director as saying.
According to Lee, the shuttle buses will run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday (New Year’s Eve), 3 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday (New Year’s Day), and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Six medium-sized buses will service the section and recreation area during the three-day holiday, he added.
The 2022 Alishan Sunrise Impression Concert, which will be attended by 2,500 people who have registered in advance, will be held at the Zhushan Sunrise Watching Platform from 5:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day. Visitors can also go to Duigaoyue and Mt. Ogasawara to watch the sunrise, Lee added.
(YouTube, Chiayi County Government video)
