The Keelung Harbor Bureau said it would soon welcome its 400,000th passenger this year, adding that the port has witnessed an extraordinary growth in visitors amid increasing stops by cruise ships in the Taiwan Strait.
Lu Chan-yu (盧展猷), a section chief at the bureau, said 320,000 passengers had entered or departed from the port of Keelung between January and last month, a 16.3 percent increase over the same period last year. The most significant increase occurred in international passengers, which rose 28.4 percent from the same period last year. The majority of international passengers were tourists from China, he said.
Lu said the bureau expected the 400,000th passenger — who would receive NT$50,000 as a gift — would arrive by the end of next month. The 399,999th arrival, meanwhile, would receive NT$10,000.
The bureau estimates that the port could potentially accommodate between 420,000 and 430,000 passengers this year, Lu said.
Because of the port’s rising status, Lu said a forum on cross-strait cruises would be held next month in the port of Keelung to discuss the future of the industry.
Aside from four directors from Keelung, Taichung, Kaohsiung and Hualien ports, Lu said members of the China Ports and Harbors Association were scheduled to attend the forum, which is to be held on a cruise ship.
Members of the China Cruise and Yacht Association are also scheduled to visit Kaohsiung, Hualien and Keelung ports in November. The association and the bureau will also host a seminar.
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