TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Natchan Rera high-speed ferry has received the go-ahead for test trips for a night service between Tainan City and the Taiwan Strait archipelago of Penghu, the Maritime and Port Bureau (MPB) said Wednesday (Sept. 28).

As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, the inauguration of the first high-speed night service was expected to intensify tourism traffic between the two popular travel destinations, CNA reported. The ideal formula would be to go sightseeing in Tainan during the morning and spend the night in Penghu, according to the MPB.

Ferry operator Uni-Wagon Marine Co., Ltd. saw the revival of post-COVID travel as a business opportunity, so it applied for a license for the special night journeys between Anping harbor in Tainan and Magong, the capital of Penghu County.

The MPB reviewed the application Tuesday (Sept. 27) before reaching a positive conclusion, the report said.