Travel guide publisher Lonely Planet has included the outlying Taiwanese islands of Kinmen and Matsu on a list of 20 must-see tourist spots for visitors to Taiwan.
Kinmen and Matsu are both located off the coast of Mainland China, and are important bases for Taiwan’s military. Kinmen is famous for its war history museums and its use as a backdrop for war movies. Meanwhile, the Matsu Islands are home to “The Iron Fort” and a phenomenon known as “the blue sand”. The blue sand is a condition where algae along the coast give off a blue light at night.
According to statistics, trips to Kinmen and Matsu increased three-fold between 2013 and 2014.