Taitung County says it's making every effort to complete the new passenger embarkation terminal at Fugang Fishing Harbor by the Lunar New Year, to prepare for the influx of passengers during the 10-day holiday.
The new passenger embarkation terminal at Fugang Fishing Harbor opened on the 13th, with barrier-free ramps replacing steps and a repaved parking lot. Extraneous facilities have also been removed from the waiting area to make it more spacious.
Hsu Chia-hao, Director, Department of Agriculture, Taitung County: “We have also improved the air circulation, lighting and overall comfort of our public restrooms.”
Although only 50 percent of seats on ferries between Taitung and its offshore islands have been sold for the holiday period, some tourists may decide to make a spontaneous trip if the weather is good. The county government says the improved terminal has opened just in time for holiday travel to Green Island and Orchid Island. Meanwhile, indigenous villages in Taitung are reminding tourists that religious and sacrificial items including betelnut and liquor are placed around the peripheries of villages and should not be removed or taken.
Lin Tien-fu, Priest, Papulu Indigenous Village: “If we have bad things in our homes or we need to go perform a ceremony in the mountains -- we want to get rid of bad things like (betelnut).”
The county also says people planning to travel to Taitung during the holiday should make their travel and hotel arrangements before they leave, especially if they are traveling to the offshore islands.
富岡漁港客輪登船碼頭，13號正式開放使用。整建好的登船碼頭，改善了過去階梯式的設計，改成坡道，避免遊客跌倒，也能方便身障遊客前往碼頭登船；同時停車空間也重新舖上水泥，方便民眾行走。另外，購票候船室的空間也拆除不必要的設施更寬敞，遊客最不滿的廁所也重新打掉重做。
台東縣農業處長許家豪說：「包括男廁女廁等等的這一部分，讓整個環境可以更通透，整個燈光打的燈光也可以更明亮，整個舒適性也會有所提昇。」
過年十天連假即將來臨，雖然目前預訂前往台東離島的船班只有五成訂票率，但天氣一旦晴朗，可能會有遊客突然要搭船到離島；縣府強調，登船碼頭改善設施啟用後，春節要前往綠島蘭嶼的遊客就有方便的公共設施可以使用。另外，台東部落的居民也提醒遊客，各個部落常會有家族和部落的祭典，祭品通常會放在部落周邊，由於祭品會經過祈福的儀式，代表特殊的意義，呼籲遊客到部落不要拿走地上的檳榔和水酒之類的物品。
卑南族寶桑部落祭司林天福表示：「我們家裡面有不好的東西，還是我們要慶典要去上山做什麼，這個(檳榔)要把這個不好的給它送走。」
縣府也呼籲遊客，春節期間到台東旅遊，最好能事先安排好交通和住宿，尤其是離島，免得突然搭船上島反而沒地方住。