Taipei, April 6 (CNA) The upcoming 2006 Penghu Fireworks andMusic Festival that starts a four-month long tourist season thatorganizers hope will draw even more tourists this year to the islandcounty, which enjoys rich tourism and recreational resources, PenghuCounty Magistrate Wang Chien-fa said Thursday at a press conference.
The festival combining fireworks over the sea and musicperformances will officially start April 15. After the conclusion ofthe first phase June 18, the second phase will take place from July29-Aug. 4.
There will be fireworks displays and live performances every twodays during the first phase, while a seven-day music festival is thefocus of the second phase, organizers said. More than 300,000 tourists visited Penghu during the festivallast year, Wang said. With the Penghu county government organizingthe event for the first time in the event's four-year history, Wang expressed confident that the number of tourists will hit an all-timehigh.
Originally an idea from a travel Web site after the 2003 SevereAcute Respiratory Syndrome outbreak scared off tourists fromTaiwan, the festival has seen success during the past three years andhas become an integral part of Penghu's tourism projects.
To attract more visitors, domestic airlines will also help outwith special deals on long-weekend breaks as well as reduced-pricetickets.
The Penghu islands, also known as the Pescadores, are anarchipelago in the Taiwan Strait.