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Penghu joins ¡¥most beautiful bays¡¦
club
Staff writer, with CNA, PARIS
The 800m-long sand spit on Penghu
County¡¦s Jibei Island is seen in an undated aerial photograph. Penghu¡¦s
application to be a member of the France-based Most Beautiful Bays in the World
Club was approved on Monday.
Photo: Liu Yu-ching, Taipei Times, courtesy of the Penghu National Scenic Area
Administration
A stone fish trap in the shape of
a love heart on Penghu County¡¦s Cimei Island is pictured in an undated file
photo. Penghu joined the France-based Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club on
Monday.
Photo: CNA
The Penghu Islands were approved as a
member of the Most Beautiful Bays in the World Club at a meeting convened by the
France-based group on Monday.
Galip Gur, the club¡¦s president, said Penghu is different and that the people
and the Penghu government have made great efforts to promote a beautiful bay,
which were key factors in the decision.
A visit by members of the group also convinced them that Penghu should be part
of the club.
¡§If you feel different there, if you feel something comfortable, that means that
this place deserves to be a member,¡¨ Gur said. ¡§And that¡¦s how we felt in Penghu
from the beginning when we arrived there.¡¨
¡§The things we see there, we don¡¦t see anywhere else. That makes the place
beautiful,¡¨ he said.
Gur also expressed the hope that Penghu could achieve a balance between tourism
and environmental protection.
Penghu was first invited to join the club in 2010, but could not because
representatives were unable to attend the club¡¦s annual congress in Vietnam due
to the obstruction of China.
The outlying county, located off the nation¡¦s southwestern coast, was invited to
attend this year¡¦s annual congress in Turkey and Greece in September and
formally applied to join the organization on that occasion.
Following the approval of Penghu¡¦s application at Monday¡¦s meeting in Paris, the
island chain will be formally inducted into the club at its annual meeting next
year and be given a ¡§Most Beautiful Bay in the World¡¨ certificate.
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