By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Network, reported and compiled by Li Xinyi
As December approaches, the year-end season for New Year’s celebrations is just around the corner. Some travel agencies have already launched Taiwan’s most exciting domestic New Year’s countdown and sunrise-welcoming tour packages. Current sales have already surpassed last year’s pace at the same time and are expected to grow by 20% overall. Industry insiders say that this year, locals have a rare four-day consecutive holiday for New Year’s and New Year’s Day, which increases their willingness to stay overnight and extend their domestic travel for the occasion. Popular options such as staying overnight at the Kenting National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium — a family favorite — and watching the sunrise along the Shouhai Grassland coastline on the Dongyuan Ancient Trail in Taitung sold out in less than a week after going on sale.
The view of the sunrise from Hehuan Mountain is breathtaking. (Photo provided by Lion Travel)
According to statistics from Lion Travel so far, the most popular New Year’s sunrise tour this year is still “Ali Mountain Night Without Sleep,” ranking first, followed by the E-Da New Year’s Eve Fireworks in second place, and Hehuan Mountain in third. In addition, spots such as Taipingshan Cui Feng Lake, Eastern and Western Taiwan (Hualien and Taitung), and Fulong in Northern Taiwan are also receiving overwhelming interest as top New Year’s destinations. Lion Travel Deputy Manager Yu Guozhen noted that Ali Mountain has Taiwan’s highest railway station and is one of the best spots to welcome the New Year’s sunrise. With relatively easy hiking and a variety of travel activities included, it has been a favorite among Taiwanese travelers in previous years. Watching the mysterious and beautiful first light of the New Year emerging from the distant mountains and sea of clouds can instantly make one forget the fatigue of staying up all night in eager anticipation. This year, Lion Travel is also offering an ultra-low starting price of just NT$888, and its newly opened Taipei Station Front Breeze branch is running an exclusive “buy three, get one free” promotion (original price NT$1,088, special price brings it down to just NT$816 per person). They are confident of recreating the enthusiastic scene of over a thousand people gathering to watch the sunrise on Ali Mountain. Meanwhile, those hoping to greet the New Year’s sun on the East Coast should act fast, as train seats to Hualien and Taitung are limited, and the sunrise tour groups to Taimali, Sanxiantai, and Qixingtan each have only 20 spots left.
The sunrise at Ali Mountain is one of the most popular New Year’s sunrise-welcoming spots among Taiwanese. (Photo provided by Lion Travel)
This weekend, Lion Travel will launch an online game called “Open Your Eyes – Search for Taiwan’s Hottest New Year’s Destinations.” Players can search for designated task locations within a set time while learning about popular sunrise-watching spots. The top 100 players in the challenge rankings will have a chance to win prizes such as free New Year’s tour packages and movie vouchers for the film “Chef Wang.”
● Extended reading: Welcome the New Year in a hot air balloon! Jay Chou and Wan Fang to perform at Taitung’s New Year’s countdown event
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