The travel industry’s top pick: a one-day trip to Taiping Island for moon viewing with 1,600 people signed up; the Ministry of National Defense hasn’t given the green light yet

Reported by You Tzu-ju / Taipei

Amid ongoing disputes over the South China Sea arbitration,a Taiwanese travel agency has launched a “Taiping Island sightseeing tour,” with a one-day trip scheduled to depart on September 16. The chartered flight will run from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with an estimated three-hour stay on the island,


a 12-hour round-trip moon-gazing tour that has already attracted 1,600 participants. The agency said they are waiting for the Ministry of National Defense’s reply on whether it will be approved. “Once approved, we’ll definitely set off.”

▲ A travel agency offers a one-day trip to “Taiping Island.” (Photo / Screenshot from Taiwan Trip Travel Network)



The one-day tour departs the airport at 11:00 a.m. and returns to Taiwan at 11:00 p.m. The flight is scheduled to take off from Taiwan at 1:00 p.m., arriving at Taiping Island at 4:00 p.m. for a three-hour eco-tour of the island, including a nature trail around the island, a cultural park built from logs, relics of a WWII-era old trestle bridge, and the Nansha Hospital. In the evening, visitors will watch the sunset along the coastline, enjoy a moon-gazing picnic at 6:30 p.m., and take off at 8:00 p.m., returning to Taiwan at around 11:00 p.m.