2015 Yacht Carnival Kicks Off Happily in Anping, Tainan

2015 Yacht Carnival Drives a Wave of Seaside Leisure ⟦5 (Taiwan TB News Network / Reporter Chen Nianzu) To continue promoting yachting activities, the Maritime and Port Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, after holding the "Sea High Life – Happy Yacht Carnival" events in northern, central, and southern Taiwan in 103 (2014), once again joined hands to plan the "Gather the Group and Set Sail, Pass On Happiness - 2015 Yacht Carnival" event at the yacht marina of Anping Port in Tainan City on September 19, 104 (2015), and held a kick-off press conference in the first-floor hall of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications on August 20. Chi Wen-chung, Director-General of the Maritime and Port Bureau, stated that at the event site on September 19, in addition to displaying 20 yachts of various types and arranging performances combining joy, fun, and knowledge such as music, dance, magic, and a yacht mini-class, a limited 600 members of the public would be opened to participate in a sailing experience. Everyone is welcome to gather friends and family and come join in. ⟦6 The "How to Become a Yacht Player" yacht forum originally scheduled to be held at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel Keelung on August 23 has been temporarily postponed and will be rescheduled due to the impact of Typhoon Swan. As for the session at the Anping Joy Banquet Hall in Anping Port, Tainan City on September 19, it will still be held as originally scheduled. ⟦7 At the forum, three major themes will be covered: how to enjoy yachting, safety planning for water activities, and friendly measures and prospects for yachting activities. Through diverse discussion and experience sharing among players, government, academia, and the public, it is hoped that people will gain a better understanding of the diversity and accessibility of yacht leisure activities, and further be happy to participate in yachting leisure activities. Members of the public interested in participating in the forum are welcome to register at the official event website: http://twyacht.com.tw. ⟦8 Currently common yachting activities include going out to sea by boat, water skiing, diving, sea fishing, and around-the-island travel, all of which are leisure activities quite suitable for friends and family to participate in together. However, most citizens are still quite unfamiliar with such activities, or feel that this is a leisure activity only the wealthy can enjoy. In fact, one can join a yacht club or use yacht rental services, making yacht leisure more accessible and diverse. ⟦9 In addition, in order to develop our country's marine tourism industry, the government's ocean policy and related regulations have gradually been relaxed as a supporting measure. At present, the Ship Act and the Yacht Management Rules have been amended, the qualifications for foreign nationals to take licensing exams have been relaxed, and regulations related to simplifying port entry and exit control (customs, immigration, quarantine, and security inspection, namely CIQS) have been revised. This helps establish an environment suitable for promoting the development of yachting activities, so that Made In Taiwan yachts are not only popular internationally, but yachting activities can also take root and heat up domestically, driving a new wave of domestic marine activities and making our country's title of "Yacht Kingdom" truly deserve its name.

(Taiwan TB News Network / Reporter Chen Nien-tsu) To continue promoting yacht activities, the Maritime and Port Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, following the "Sea High Life – Happy Yacht Carnival" events held in northern, central, and southern Taiwan in 2014, once again joined hands to plan the "Gather a Group, Set Sail, Pass On Happiness - 2015 Yacht Carnival" event, held on September 19, 2015 at the yacht marina of Anping Port in Tainan City, and held a kick-off press conference on August 20 in the first-floor lobby of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Chi Wen-chung, Director-General of the Maritime and Port Bureau, stated that at the September 19 event, in addition to displaying 20 yachts of various types and arranging performances combining joy, fun, and knowledge such as music, dance, magic, and a yacht mini-class, a limited 600 members of the public would be allowed to take part in a sailing experience. Everyone is welcome to gather their relatives and friends and come join in.

The "How to Become a Yacht Enthusiast" yacht seminar originally scheduled to be held on August 23 at the Evergreen Laurel Hotel in Keelung has been temporarily postponed to a later date due to the impact of Typhoon Goni; as for the session on September 19 at the Anping Xi Yan Banquet Hall in Anping Port, Tainan City, it will still be held as originally scheduled.

At the seminar, three major themes will be covered: how to enjoy yachting, safety planning for water activities, and friendly measures and prospects for yacht activities. Through diverse discussion and experience sharing among enthusiasts, government, academia, and the public, it is hoped that people will gain a better understanding of the diversity and accessibility of yacht leisure activities, and thereby be more willing to take part in yacht leisure activities. Members of the public interested in participating in the seminar are welcome to register at the official event website: http://twyacht.com.tw.

Currently common yacht activities include going out to sea by boat, water skiing, diving, or sea fishing, and round-island travel, all of which are leisure activities quite suitable for relatives and friends to enjoy together. However, most citizens are still quite unfamiliar with such activities, or feel that this is a leisure activity only the wealthy can enjoy. In fact, one can join a yacht club or rent a yacht, making yacht leisure more accessible and diverse.

In addition, in order to develop our country's maritime tourism industry, the government's ocean policy and related regulations have been gradually relaxed as a supporting measure. At present, the Ship Act and the Yacht Management Regulations have been amended, the qualification requirements for foreigners to obtain licenses have been relaxed, and regulations related to simplifying port entry and exit controls (customs, immigration, quarantine, and security inspection, i.e. CIQS) have been revised, helping to establish an environment suitable for promoting the development of yacht activities, so that yachts Made In Taiwan are not only popular internationally, but can also allow yacht activities to gain momentum domestically, driving a new wave of domestic maritime activity and making our country's title of "Yacht Kingdom" live up to its name.