This year Penghu has shown its brilliance during such occasions as the 2018 annual meeting of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World, 2018 Bay Tourism Year and the 3rd Penghu Autumn Festival. This final season of the year, riveting sports events, a dazzling Penghu International Light Festival and breathtaking fireworks shows make a Penghu a perfect destination for autumn and winter trips, as well.
 
In addition to repositioning the archipelago for autumn and winter tourism, the island boasts of famous tourist attractions such as the Daguoye Columnar Basalt in Siyu Township on Penghu Island, a stretch of 100 meters of columnar basalt rocks formed ten million years ago. Heavy rains will create a temporary pond in front of them, reflecting the towering basalt cliffs—a majestic sight. Easily accessible and highly photogenic, this unique natural landscape attracts photographers from far and wide. The intriguing intertidal zone between the coast of Chiyu to Kuibishan changes with every tide and is worth a visit. During high tide, the seawater submerges the sea trail there, yet when ebb tide sets in, a beautiful, curved gravel trail emerges, and like Moses and the Israelites in the Old Testament, you can walk across the sea. A similar structure, the Azure Window of Malta in the Mediterranean had been a hot spot visited by millions of tourists and had appeared in movies and TV dramas, when weakened by sea erosion its famous arch collapsed into the sea during a storm on 8 March 2017. Suddenly swept away, its beauty has been reduced to a mere memory. Although the Azure Window has closed, the Whale Cave of Xiaomen Islet of Penghu fortunately still exists. This rock formation is a basalt mesa eroded by the sea into its present arched shape. Its name is derived from its resemblance to a whale breaking the surface of the sea. Although the Whale Cave hopes it does not meet the same fate as the collapse of Azure Window, the forces of nature are capricious and for those who wish to experience a spectacular landscape, it’s never too early to visit Penghu’s Whale Cave.
 
The Penghu National Scenic Area Administration Court, Tourism Bureau, MOTC and the Penghu County Government have applied for these three attractions to be listed as a Geological Park in order to stimulate local communities to participate in regional sustainable development, promoting geological science and environmental education, and support conservation, education and sustainable development. To make the Daguoye, Kuibeishan and Xiaomen (Whale Cave) Geological Park better known to tourists, the “Precious Penghu, GeoPark Photo Gift” event is held online from 5 November through 15 December 2018. Participants only need to check in at and take a photo with “the World's Most Beautiful Bay in Penghu” logo at Daguoye, Kuibeishan, Xiaomen Geological Park, or the Penghu Visitor Center, and upload their picture to the Penghu NSA’s Facebook page called Gaillardia Island Happy Travels together with a short comment on education, preservation, protection or similar entries. These posters will be included in a lucky draw. The diverse and beautiful prizes include three prizes of 3-day-2-nights travel packages covering return flights from FAT AIR Taipei, Kaoshiung, or Taichung to Penghu, accommodation in Jiaqi Hotel, airport shuttle); one prize of a 42 mm Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS); one prize of two UNI AIR Kaohsiung-Magong round-trip tickets; one prizes of one CENTURION 29” suitcase model Whale Shark C23 (zipper suit case/flight attendant suit case); eight prizes of one Starbucks On-The-Go Card (including a store value of TWD 500). Come and share your best photo and join the lucky draw!
 
In addition, tourists visiting Penghu in the autumn or winter will be given a 3rd Penghu Autumn Festival Discount Passport, launched by the Penghu Tourism Department. The passport contains descriptions of the festival activities, autumn and winter experience tours, travel services and transportation information, as well as special discounts on food, accommodation, travel, shopping, and more, all provided by high-quality businesses. To enjoy your discount, just present the discount page of the passport at the store. The passport also enables you to join a big lucky draw with over TWD 350,000 worth of prizes in dining, accommodation, travel and shopping.
 
For further details, please visit the Penghu NSA’s Facebook fan page called Gaillardia Island Happy Travels- Penghu National Scenic Area.