Nantou County in central Taiwan has built a number of raised “skywalks”, hoping that the views they provide of the county’s natural beauty will attract tourists. A total of seven now extend through short stretches of the county’s rugged mountains.
While some of these attractions have been successes, others are facing closure due to a lack of visitors.
Nantou County’s Qingjing Skywalk has welcomed over one million visitors since it opened to the public in 2017. The county government recently invested NT$30 million (US$ 980,000) in extending the skywalk in the hopes that this will attract even more visitors.
The upgraded skywalk is scheduled to reopen on October 30. Many of the tourists who came during a trial reopening ahead of the official event have praised the views the extended section offers.
Not all skywalks of Nantou County’s seven skywalks have enjoyed the same popularity, though. The Zhongliao Skywalk will close down at the end of the month. That’s despite promotional claims that it offers views on par with those tourists can see at the Grand Canyon.
Though it attracted around 1,000 visitors a day shortly after it opened in 2015, visitor numbers have since plummeted. This year, fewer than 20 visitors come on an average day. The local township office can no longer bear the financial burden of keeping the skywalk open, and so the skywalk will be closed.