A cherry blossom tree in full bloom on Chiayi County's Alishan. CNA photo March 10, 2024
Chiayi County, March 10 (CNA) Alishan drew more than double the typical number of visitors to the recreation area this weekend as the 2024 Alishan Cherry Blossom Festival opened with the popular Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms in full bloom.
The Alishan National Forest Recreation Area usually greets about 2,500 visitors per day, but the number reached a high of 5,800 on Saturday, said Chang Tai (張岱), director of the Chiayi Branch of the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, citing agency statistics.
That number is expected to climb even higher next weekend when the festival hits its peak, Chang said.
People who drive to the area will be able to park along Provincial Highway No. 18 from the 86 kilometer to 95 km mark and then take a shuttle bus to the forest park area, Chang said.
Cherry blossoms, known in Japan as sakura, were brought to Alishan from Japan during the Japanese colonial era, Chang said, and the Yoshino cherry blossom variety is the centerpiece of the blossom festival.
The Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms are now flowering due to the warmer weather associated with climate change, but they would normally start blooming from mid-March to late April.
In addition, wisteria vine, magnolia, Taiwan pleione and other flowers will bloom in succession until late April, allowing visitors to the forest park area to enjoy different flowers when they visit at different times, Chang said.
This year, the flowering times of blossoms in Alishan averaged about seven to 10 days earlier than they did in the past few years due to climate change, according to an expert from the agency's Alishan workstation.
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