Attracted by the richly diverse tourism and cultural resources of Suao and the Lanyang Plain, the boutique cruise ship Coral Explorer will make its maiden call at Suao Port on October 23^rd, permitting its passengers to explore this truly special corner of Taiwan. Port of Keelung has worked closely with Yilan County and the Suao Township Office to plan and organize Yilan-focused tour itineraries and associated transportation support in order to raise cruise ship operator interest in and calls at Suao and to boost the area’s tourism economy.

Coral Geographer, operated by Coral Expeditions, is a smaller-scale, expedition-oriented cruise ship weighing in at 5,516 GT with a passenger capacity of 120 guests that is currently used on exploratory cruise itineraries in and around Oceania, the Asia Pacific, South Pacific, and Indian Ocean. Coral Geographer’s current voyage is taking 60 passengers from its Port of Keelung homeport to Suao Port on October 23^rd before proceeding on to destinations in the Philippines. Special measures taken by Port of Keelung to welcome Coral Geographer’s maiden visit to Suao Port include a water salute upon arrival and the presentation to all passengers of a commemorative mug imprinted with the image of the new Suao Passenger Terminal.

Considering Suao Port’s inherent limitations in terms of channel and wharf depths and passenger processing capabilities, Port of Keelung has focused on developing Suao as an inviting destination for small and medium-sized cruise ships, which fits well with the rise in recent years of both the “premium” and “exploration” subsectors of the cruise market. This spurred Port of Keelung’s seeking cooperation with county and local government offices to develop and organize tourism itineraries in the areas surrounding Suao Port; create maps showing popular tourist attractions and destinations; publish information on popular local product vendors, transportation options, and other advice for visitors; and establish a regular tourist shuttle service. TIPC and its partners look forward to these and other related initiatives attracting more international cruise ships to Suao Port to promote further growth and prosperity in northeastern Taiwan.