After setting a record low of 2.01 million tourist visits in the previous year, Kenting National Park saw a rebound to 2.7 million visits last year due to the lifting of pandemic restrictions. Among these, Eluanbi Park and Maobitou Park, which had previously set astonishing records of 1.76 million and 2.64 million visitors nine years ago, saw a slight rise from their lowest points to 340,000 and 170,000 visitors last year, respectively (check out our full analysis for visitor statistics in Kenting National Park per each recreation area).
Eluanbi Park with Eluanbi Lighthouse at the background
To regain popularity, the Park Administration tried a pilot program of free entry at Maobitou last year and continued it this year. Eluanbi’s new marketplace project, halted for five years due to the discovery of prehistoric relics, will be redesigned and funds sought for refurbishing the old stores.
Virtual tour of the Eluanbi Park Shopping area, as it was in 2022.
Once the top attraction of Kenting National Park, Maobitou Park used only to charge parking fees and was a must-visit for mainland tour groups due to its free entry, attracting millions of visitors annually. In 2015, it reached a record of 2.64 million visitors. To improve the visitor experience, the Park Administration began charging an entry fee of 30 NT per person in May 2016, leading to a drop to 1.46 million visitors that year. The numbers further declined in subsequent years due to the mainland travel ban and the pandemic, falling to 140,000 visitors before slightly increasing to 170,000 last year with the free entry trial.
Maobitou in Kenting national park
“Even though it’s a free attraction, there’s not much to see in less than an hour!” said a vendor named Chen.
Maobitou, known for its unique coastal features like cliffs, potholes, and columnar joints, has drastically declined visitors, affecting the income of vendors and nearby restaurants and accommodations.
Last year’s free entry trial had limited success in attracting visitors back. The decline is primarily attributed to the mainland travel ban, but the park’s small size also makes it challenging to retain visitors. There’s a suggestion to open up the coastline and extend trails and viewing platforms.
Eluanbi Park, a long-established flagship attraction of Kenting, charged an entry fee of 60 NT and set a new record of 1.76 million visitors in 2015.
A project to rebuild the old stores, started in 2017 with an investment of 120 million NT, was halted the following year due to the discovery of shell artifacts and stone coffins, leading to a drop in visitors to just over 700,000 in 2019 and 320,000 the year before last, slightly recovering to 340,000 this year.
Vendors complained about being enclosed by archeological site fences for five years, and after the fences were removed following a dog attack, the existing stores remain old and unappealing to visitors.
360 degree view in Eluanbi shopping store alley
The Park Administration states that last year’s trial of free entry at Maobitou will continue this year. Suggestions for extending the park trails and adding observation platforms are being considered for visitor safety, aiming to prolong visitor engagement.
The stalled new marketplace project at Eluanbi, due to the discovery of prehistoric relics, will be redesigned and funding sought from the central government. Refurbishment of the existing old stores is also planned. Additionally, the Pingtung County Cultural Affairs Department plans to construct a prehistoric artifact museum on the Hengchun Peninsula to create a new highlight for archeological and historical tourism.