The Taiwan Tourism Bureau is stepping up its promotion of the country’s thermal hot springs, of which there are said to be more than 100.

Focusing on the health benefits of naturally heated mineral waters, the tourism bureau says the hot springs lead to increased metabolism, soothed muscles and improved blood circulation. The minerals in the water are described by the board as being able to fight the symptoms of fatigue, insomnia, poor circulation and even immune system-related diseases.

With an extremely high concentration of thermal springs, the tourism bureau has highlighted four key hot spring sites for tourists to visit. For example, in the city of Tainan on the peak of Zhentou Mountain, the Guangziling facility is a mud spring that is rich in minerals and chemicals that can reportedly only be found in Taiwan, Italy and Japan.

Another hot spring featured in the tourism bureau’s promotion is in the south of Taiwan – the Sichong River thermal springs. These are clear and odourless.

The Beitou hot spring in Taipei is particularly popular in northern Taiwan for its convenient location. This hot spring is well known for its high quantity of sulphur and the facility was developed while Taiwan was under Japanese imperial rule.

In the Yangmingshan National Park, the Yangmingshan hot springs are a 30-minute journey from central Taipei. The area has four major volcanic hot spring sites, including the section bordering the park, Lengshuikeng, Macao and Huogengziping. Each of the springs has distinctive temperatures and mineral contents, according to the tourism bureau.

The tourism bureau’s initiative to promote the country’s hot springs began in 2007, when the bureau, ministry of transportation and communication combined thermal springs and gourmet cuisine to launch the ‘Taiwan Hot Spring Fine-Cuisine Carnival’.