Taipei, July 13 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian said Sunday high-speed travel will no longer be a distant dream in Taiwan and will become reality in two years.
Chen touted Taiwan's soon-to-be-completed high-speed transportation network at the opening of an "Easy Go" tourist promotion activity held at the Presidential Office plaza in downtown Taipei.
Noting that tourism plays a critical role in the nation's economic development, Chen said the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) has launched an all-out campaign to boost travel and transportation services in the wake of the recent severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak.
As part of the program, Chen said that the government has decided to designate 2004 as Taiwan's "Year of Tourism" and that the MOTC has begun preparing the celebration agenda.
Moreover, Chen went on, the government has invested heavily in building up an advanced high-speed transportation system to help boost the travel industry.
An electrification project for the North-Link Railway between Ilan and Hualien in eastern Taiwan was completed July 4, Chen said, adding that the government also unveiled a comprehensive plan on the same day to improve the transportation system in the eastern part of the island, including construction of a Suao-Hualien expressway.
Meanwhile, the president said, the Peiyi expressway linking Ilan in northeastern Taiwan to metropolitan Taipei -- an extremely challenging construction project -- will be inaugurated by the end of 2005, significantly shortening the travel time between Taipei and eastern Taiwan.
Construction on the central and southern Taiwan sections of the island's second north-south expressway will be completed by the end of this year, he said.
In addition, Chen added, construction on the island's first high-speed railway is proceeding smoothly and will be open to traffic by the end of 2005. "So in just two years, our islandwide high-speed railway and expressway systems will become fully operational and we'll enter a new era of high-speed travel," the president pointed out.
In connection with the "Easy Go" tourist promotion organized by the MOTC, a trade fair promoting fruits and other agricultural products from Ilan County also took place at the presidential plaza, attracting a large crowd of holidaymakers. The noted Lanyang Dance Troupe and several aboriginal dancing groups from Ilan presented dazzling performances to add to the fanfare.
The Presidential Office was also open to the public Sunday, with a collection of photos and paintings featuring Ilan's natural beauty as well as artifacts and handicrafts created by Ilan artists being on display.