To revitalize the “Marine Blue Highway” that ceased operations 19 years ago, the Pingtung County Government is transforming the unused ferry waiting room at Haikou Port in Checheng Township into a sea-viewing art museum. They are organizing special exhibitions and launching an art season that incorporates the “downslope wind” kinetic art.
There are plans to introduce non-motorized water activities, develop a sea-viewing recreational park, and bring in quality snacks and souvenir services. The aim is to significantly upgrade the tourist services in the Haikou recreational area, making it a new tourist highlight beyond Kenting. This is a good idea, and would surely add more guests to nearby H-resort, which being a great place to stay, otherwise lacked a good tourist spots around it.
To alleviate the volume of tourists heading south to Kenting on Taiwan’s Highway 1, the government developed the “Marine Blue Highway” from Kaohsiung’s Fengbitou Port to Pingtung’s Checheng. With an investment of over a hundred million dollars, a ferry waiting room and fish market were built, infusing life into the remote Haikou fishing village. However, due to a low passenger rate, the service was suspended in less than 2 years, resulting in the infrastructure lying dormant. It was once mockingly referred to as “Mosquito Harbor 蚊子港”, with the audit office stepping in for corrections and oversight.
Five years ago, the county government revitalized Checheng’s Haikou Port and designated it as the Haikou recreational area. The unused ferry waiting room was transformed into a sea-viewing art museum, special exhibitions were held, and the falling wind art season was organized in the winter.
Given the insufficient tourist service capacity and tourist feedback that they don’t stay long, there are plans to use the flat sandy beach by the port to introduce new non-motorized water activities and develop a sea-viewing park. The second floor of the wind tower will also be outsourced this year for light food and souvenir services.
Huang Guowei 黃國維, the head of the county’s transportation and tourism department, said Checheng is a must-pass for those heading to Kenting and the Marine Life Museum. In the past, tourists wouldn’t stay long. Since 2018, the Haikou recreational area has become the permanent exhibition base for the annual falling wind art season. It’s also a key entrance and transportation hub for the county-level scenic area “Falling Wind Scenic Area”, with great potential for tourism development. Upgrading the tourist service capacity is the current focus.
He added that Kenting is a hotspot for water activities. Beside Haikou Port is a vast sandy beach where the waves aren’t large except in autumn, making it suitable for non-motorized water activities. Recent water safety experience activities in the area included stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing experiences, and water safety lifeguard training.
Haikou Beach
The goal is to create a safe water activity mode, linking nearby accommodations and tourist attractions, making it an integral part of Haikou Port’s tourism and leisure industry. With light food and souvenir services, it aims to become a new tourist highlight beyond Kenting.
While in Checheng Township, don’t stop just at Haikou Port. We’ve compiled a full Checheng Area Tour Guide for you to check – just check it out.