East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Administration, Tourism Bureau, MOTC (hereinafter referred to as the Administration) and Seth Education Foundation, held an “OT/ROT/BOT Project of Fenghuang Villa (Seth Village), Fenglin Township, Hualien County” signing ceremony at Fenghuang Villa, Fenglin Township at 2 pm on February 19, 2021.

Seth Education Foundation stated that it will invest NT$80 million to build a brand-new holiday park for slow travel with lightweight packs. It will demolish and reconstruct the villa, build 50 cottages and provide tourism consulting services throughout the year. The park will be able to provide accommodation for at least 100 people in the future. The project will help the government save NT$20 million in construction and maintenance management cost per year, and an estimated NT$600 million in government expenditure over 30 years during the project. It will also infuse NT$90 million in government funds through land rental, royalties and tax revenue. Seth Education Foundation also promises to employ more than 10% of its staff from local communities in Fenglin Township, and provide local residents and the less privileged groups with discounted accommodation.

According to the Administration's Director, Chen-ling Kuo, Fenghuang Villa was damaged by Typhoon Toraji and covered by a mudslide in 2001. When the Administration took over the management in 2002, it restored the Villa and added some recreational facilities. It then entrusted the operation of the Villa to Seth Education Foundation through OT (Operate-Transfer) in 2008, which ended in 2020. Fenghuang Villa was built more than 30 years ago, and its equipment and facilities are obsolete and do not quite meet future operation and management requirements. Seth Education Foundation is optimistic about the future development of tourism in Taiwan, especially in Hualien and the Taitung area, which has more natural landscapes, making it even more worth investing in. Hence, the Foundation will invest in the project and submit its development plans as a private institution in accordance with Article 46 of “Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects.”

As the total area of development land is only 3.8 hectares, the project will be designed to make good use of the area's environmental characteristics, such as tranquility, isolation form other regions and nature, giving the park a brand-new look. In addition, it will also integrate Fenglin Township's slow city philosophy, and the diverse cultures and rich produce in the surrounding area to develop a holiday and leisure park suitable for in-depth, fixed points and slow travel, providing services such as accommodation, spiritual growth classes, local slow life experience, conferences, dining, shops, and tourism information, so as to activate local tourism and drive sustainable tourism development in the region.