By MOOK Travel Life Network, Li Xinyi, compiled and reported
Since Taiwan opened its doors to mainland Chinese tourists in 2008, Alishan National Forest Recreation Area has become a must-visit destination for mainland visitors, with total park entries growing year by year. Last year, the area set a record by welcoming over 2 million visitors annually. To alleviate the impact of large daily crowds of people and vehicles on the park and its surroundings— including traffic, the environment, and tourism quality—the Alishan Forest Recreation Area will implement a new measure starting March 1, 2013 (102 in the Republic of China calendar): limiting group visitor entries to 6,000 per day. Online reservation applications are now open, with a trial period running from January 21 to February 28.
Starting March 1 this year, Alishan National Forest Recreation Area will limit the number of group visitors to help preserve the environment and maintain tourism quality. (Photo provided by Moleskine Editorial Department)
In recent years, most visitors to Alishan National Forest Recreation Area have followed a one-day travel pattern, arriving in the morning and leaving in the afternoon. This has led to insufficient capacity of park facilities and environmental degradation, prompting the need for a visitor diversion mechanism. The Chiayi Forest District Office stated that starting March 1, 2013, the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area will allow 6,000 group visitors per day. Groups traveling to the park via Type A or Type B coaches must have their guides or tour leaders make reservation requests through the “Alishan National Forest Recreation Area Group Visitor Diversion Reservation System.” Applications are required for each vehicle, and every coach must obtain an application reference number. On the day of entry, visitors must bring the reservation form and personal identification documents to the park ticket counter for verification and ticket purchase.
The system controls group visitor numbers in two time slots: the morning slot runs from 00:00 to 11:59 and allows 3,500 group visitors, while the afternoon slot runs from 12:00 to 23:59 and admits 2,500 group visitors. Applications can be submitted up to three months before the planned visit date. Once the quota is filled, no further applications will be accepted. If any quota remains, applications will remain open until one day before the visit date. For example, for those planning to visit on May 1, applications can be made from February 1 to April 30. Each applicant may submit only one reservation request per visit date, which is valid only for that specific date and time slot. Unused or expired reservations cannot be used, nor can they be exchanged for another date or time slot on-site. If an applicant needs to cancel a reservation, they must do so themselves via the system no later than one day before the visit date. Applicants who fail to show up for three reserved entries (excluding those properly canceled) will be suspended from using the system for three months. After the suspension period, they may use the system again. The Group Visitor Diversion Reservation System can be accessed at Alishan.forest.gov.tw. For details, please contact the 24-hour hotline at 05-267-9971 at the Alishan Forest Recreation Area main gate toll station.
● Extended Reading: Alishan Forest Railway resumes service between Chiayi and Zhushiqi Stations on December 23
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