Tourism in Preserved Nature Areas in Taiwan

This chapter explores tourism development in preserved nature areas using Taiwan as a case study. It focuses on nature tourism in National Parks and National Scenic Areas situated in high altitudes, including Yushan National Park, Taroko National Park and Alishan National Scenic Areas. The above areas along with small islands such as Kinmen National Park, Penghu National Scenic Area, Orchid Island and Green Island have recently emerged as popular nature attractions. Issues confronting the progress of nature tourism such as differences in development goals between government agencies, seasonality, tourism impacts on small islands, and controversies over establishing casinos on small islands are discussed. Finally, this chapter renders strategies for future development that center on community-based networks, environmental education, social responsibility and venues for program monitoring.