Taipei, May 6 (CNA) A direct charter flight between the offshore island county of Kinmen and Hualien on Taiwan's east coast is set to be launched June 20 to promote tourism in the two areas, the offshore county government said in a statement released Sunday.

The county government said that 12 travel agents in Kinmen are collaborating with Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) to launch the direct flight service with the aim of attracting more tourists to Kinmen and Hualien.

The direct charter flight plan will not only promote tourism but also cut the cost of travel from Kinmen to Hualien, where the tourism sector was badly impacted by a deadly earthquake on Feb. 6 that scared visitors away, said Chen Mei-ling (陳美齡), head of the offshore county's tourism department.

In the mid-to-long term, Kinmen County hopes to build a better, more convenient outbound transport system and work with travel agents in China to attract more Chinese tourists to Hualien and neighboring Taitung through Kinmen by focusing on tourist attractions in the two counties in eastern Taiwan, Chen said.

The maiden Kinmen-Hualien direct charter flight is expected to use a 165-seat McDonnell Douglas MD-80 which will fly people from Kinmen to Hualien from June 20-22. The plane will also carry travelers from Hualien to Kinmen, according to the tourism department.

The three-day travel package from Kinmen to Hualien will cost NT$7,999 (US$275) per person, it added.

(By Amy Huang and Evelyn Kao) Enditem/AW