Public anxiety over COVID-19 has hurt the tourism industry in Taiwan. Tours from China have been cancelled and there are less visitors in general to otherwise popular destinations. This has hit popular tourist spots like Hualien in eastern Taiwan.
Look, those are dolphins! Look how fast they’re swimming! Tourists are always excited when they see a school of dolphins in the ocean.
Around 200,000 people go whale-watching in Hualien, eastern Taiwan every year. The Chinese New Year holiday is not peak season but it usually brings at least 100 visitors a day. A boat needs 30 passengers to host a whale-watching trip. But this year, the COVID-19 outbreak means most boats are not going out to sea.
Boat operator Mr. Chiu Chin-tung says, “We can’t take unpaid leave as we need to make a living. We hope we can make it through this period.”
So for now, they are cleaning and disinfecting the boats and supplies such as life vests. Going out on the ocean is actually a great way to relieve stress and anxiety. As long as the weather is good, anytime is a great time to go whale-watching.