As the government relaxes COVID-19 control measures, local governments throughout Taiwan are coming up with ways of bringing back tourists. One Hualien County township has decided to do this with an agricultural twist.
In Taiwan, June is a month for harvesting rice. Hualien County’s Yuli Township has plenty of rice to harvest. But, thanks to COVID-19, what this rural township doesn’t have these days is tourists. That’s why the township has decided to make the rice harvest a central part of its campaign to bring tourists back.
Taiwan’s society was once largely agricultural. But for urbanites today, rice harvesting is something completely novel. Visitors' children learn how to use farm tools to cut the rice. In the process, they gain an appreciation for the hard work of farmers.
Of course, if the township wants tourists to return, rice alone won’t do the trick. That’s why, as the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, the township is also planning other activities—activities like fine dining al fresco in its open fields. Amid a push to revive domestic tourism after COVID-19, Yuli Township is working to stand out from other destinations. But it also hopes to reacquaint Taiwan’s people with just how beautiful the place they call home really is.