2017 Ecotourism Year: Sun Moon Lake Starlight Firefly Season Launches

The annual firefly viewing season at Sun Moon Lake is about to begin. The Sun Moon Lake National Scenic Area Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications just held a warm-up press conference at the Xiangshan Visitor Center, officially kicking off the "2017 Ecotourism Year: Sun Moon Lake Starlight Firefly Season."

The event was co-hosted by Hong Weixin, the newly appointed Director of the Scenic Area Administration; Wang Yuanzhong, Director of the County Government's Tourism Division; and Chen Jinlun, Township Mayor of Yuchi. Firefly expert He Jianrong, Head of the Operations Management Division at the Council of Agriculture's Biodiversity Research and Conservation Center, reminded visitors to cherish the habitat environment, maintain snake awareness, and avoid shining flashlights directly at the insects. In particular, please note that photography should not use flash.

Sun Moon Lake is rich in ecological resources, and April and May each year are the best times for night firefly viewing. Areas such as Toushe, Taomi, Tanan, and Lianhua Chi in Yuchi's Sun Moon Lake are famous firefly viewing spots. In coordination with the 2017 Firefly Ecotourism Year, the various firefly viewing organizers at Sun Moon Lake have combined local characteristics to plan diverse ecotours, including Taomi firefly viewing secret trail hikes, Tanan firefly viewing tribal cultural experiences, Toushe firefly viewing rural fun, and Tanqu area firefly viewing by bicycle and tea tasting, providing visitors with richer ecological experiences when viewing fireflies at Sun Moon Lake.

At the warm-up event, various firefly viewing organizers in the Sun Moon Lake area showcased the thematic features of their ecotours through situational setups. Meanwhile, numerous benefits for firefly viewing at Sun Moon Lake were revealed. For example, participating in activities such as the "Ecotourism Diary Essay Contest," "Starlight Stamp Collection for Gifts," and "Share Posts to Win Gifts" allows you to receive exquisite limited-edition event souvenirs—firefly viewing picnic tote bags—and have the chance to participate in bonus prize draws, offering over 40 prizes including 18°C Chocolate Workshop chocolate gift boxes and free accommodation experience vouchers.

Local industry merchants also rolled out multiple discount offers in response to the firefly viewing event. Simply download industry merchant coupons from the event website to use them. Rich event content and multiple gift offers ensure that you return from Sun Moon Lake firefly viewing fully loaded!

To protect firefly habitats and create a high-quality firefly viewing environment and service, the Scenic Area Administration, landowners, and various related units have cooperated to complete activities such as the Clean Homeland initiative and training for firefly viewing ecological guide interpreters by the end of March. Preparations for the 2017 Sun Moon Lake Starlight Firefly Season are now complete.

We hope that while enjoying the fireflies, the public will adhere to the "Three Don'ts and One No" guidelines: do not make loud noises, do not catch fireflies, do not shine flashlights directly at fireflies, and eliminate light pollution. Please also do not go to firefly viewing locations on your own; you must contact the respective firefly viewing organizers in advance so as not to affect firefly reproduction, ensuring that more beautiful fireflies can be seen in the future.

For more event details, please visit the event website:

http://www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw/Activities/2017firefly/