Overwhelmed: Xiaoliuqiu Welcomes Over 10,000 Visitors Daily, Two More Ferries to Join from September

▲ Xiaoliuqiu has become a popular tourist spot among Taiwanese travelers in recent years. (Photo /Gimu)

Tourism Center / Comprehensive Report

It’s packed out again this summer vacation season. In recent years, Xiaoliuqiu has become an ultra-popular off-island travel destination, drawing crowds of tourists every day. Just waiting for a ferry at Donggang can take over two hours. To handle the massive tourist flow, Pingtung County Government plans to add two more passenger ferries starting in September.

With its rich coral reef ecosystem and picturesque seaside scenery, the small island of Xiaoliuqiu has welcomed over 2 million visitors annually in recent years. On weekends and long holidays, the number of visitors even exceeds 10,000—more than the island’s resident population of around 7,000.

▲ The island’s intertidal zone ecology is another popular attraction on Xiaoliuqiu. (Photo / From Xiaoliuqiu Yiting Homestay Facebook page)

But the huge influx of people has also led to many problems. Not only has the intertidal zone ecology been severely damaged—so much so that it had to be temporarily closed earlier this year for recovery—the seven existing ferries between Xiaoliuqiu and Donggang have also struggled to cope with the volume of passengers. As a result, ferry wait times often exceed two hours, and during peak travel seasons, they can stretch to three or even four hours. The sweltering heat only adds to the frustration, with many saying, “Now we only dare to visit on weekdays!”

To better manage the large crowds, Pingtung County Government will add two more private ferries starting in September. There will then be a total of nine ferries shuttling between Xiaoliuqiu and Donggang, estimated to increase annual passenger capacity by over 400,000 and significantly reduce waiting times.