JAKARTA - The launch ceremony for the ferry route between Taiwan and Okinawa, Japan, which marks the resumption of direct service between Keelung and Ishigaki Island after 18 years of suspension.
The ceremony in the port city of Keelung, northern Taiwan, was attended by a number of figures, including members of parliament and city government officials, and was enlivened by lion dance performances.
Keelung Deputy Mayor Chiu Pei-lin said his party hopes the new service will bring more Japanese tourists to Taiwan.
"We have prepared many interesting destinations and look forward to the arrival of tourists," Chiu told reporters as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, May 28.
Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama said the new route is not just a transportation link, but a bridge for wider development in the fields of tourism, logistics, culture, and education.
"I also hope that the bond between Taiwan, Ishigaki, and the Yaeyama region (which includes Ishigaki and other islands) can last forever," Nakayama said at the ceremony.
The Yaima Line ferry is targeted to connect Keelung and Ishigaki in about eight hours.
During the first month since it began operating on Thursday, the ferry operator will provide one round trip every week.
According to the Keelung Port operator, the regular ferry service between Keelung and Ishigaki had been operating for more than 50 years before it was suspended in 2008.
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