Taiwan's Lienchiang County is putting its first privately built and run tourist hotel out to tender, a bet that Matsu's tourism rebound will draw outside money.

• The county is holding an investor briefing in Taipei on the 26th, its first pitch made on Taiwan's main island rather than locally.
• China has been reopening travel to Matsu for residents of Fujian and Shanghai, and a large arts festival is pulling in more visitors.
• Over the May Day holiday the islands drew more than 4,000 travellers, a record, with the highest hotel occupancy in the country.
• Buildable land is scarce because the terrain is steep and more than half the islands are protected, making this roughly 4,500-square-metre plot unusually valuable.
• The site sits near the giant Mazu statue and the Magang shopping area, with views across to mainland China.

Outlook: The county will use feedback from the briefing to shape the formal tender documents, so a full call for bids is the next step.