The China National Tourism Administration is to suspend group tours to Taichung from Nov. 5 to April next year, Taiwanese tourist agencies said, citing Chinese business contacts.
Although there was no official announcement from the Chinese government, the ban is likely an attempt to influence the nine-in-one elections on Nov. 24 and to boycott the Taichung World Flora Expo that is to open on Saturday, a tourism agency source said on condition of anonymity.
The suspension would affect tours that offer dining or overnight stays in Taichung, the source said, adding that groups were explicitly forbidden from visiting the Fengchia Night Market (逢甲夜市).
Photo courtesy of a tour operator
The reports came from intermediaries between Chinese tour groups and Taiwanese travel agencies, the source said, adding that other agencies have also been informed by their contacts.
As the information was not from Chinese authorities, Taiwanese businesses cannot ask them for confirmation, the source said.
However, even if the suspension has been ordered, the effects on tourism are likely to be minimal, as most eight-day tours from China do not stay overnight in Taichung unless they plan to visit Sun Moon Lake (日月潭), the source said, adding that the expo is aimed at backpackers and domestic tourists, who would not be affected by the Chinese policy.
Taipei-based Cheng An Travel Services Co Ltd chairwoman Wu Pi-lian (吳碧蓮) said that while several firms have heard reports of a suspension, not all are convinced that they are accurate.
“China’s border provinces sometimes jump the gun in trying to guess what the top brass want and it is not likely that cosmopolitan cities like Shanghai would impose such a ban,” Wu said.
“However, [Chinese officials] could issue fewer travel permits,” she said.
The Tourism Bureau said the reports of a suspension cannot be verified — much like previous rumors that China would halve the number of group tours to Taiwan — but this does little to stop rumors from spreading in election season.
In the past, Chinese authorities would not comment on such reports and with the current cross-strait diplomatic tensions, they would not respond to any inquiry, the bureau said.
As of last month, Chinese visitor numbers to Taiwan had not changed significantly, with a drop in group tours offset by an increase in independent travelers, the bureau said, citing government data.
“The bureau welcomes Chinese tourists,” it said, adding that even if there was a suspension of tours to Taichung, Chinese could still visit as independent travelers.
AIR SUPPORT: The Ministry of National Defense thanked the US for the delivery, adding that it was an indicator of the White House’s commitment to the Taiwan Relations Act Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) and Representative to the US Alexander Yui on Friday attended a delivery ceremony for the first of Taiwan’s long-awaited 66 F-16C/D Block 70 jets at a Lockheed Martin Corp factory in Greenville, South Carolina. “We are so proud to be the global home of the F-16 and to support Taiwan’s air defense capabilities,” US Representative William Timmons wrote on X, alongside a photograph of Taiwanese and US officials at the event. The F-16C/D Block 70 jets Taiwan ordered have the same capabilities as aircraft that had been upgraded to F-16Vs. The batch of Lockheed Martin
US President Donald Trump yesterday announced sweeping "reciprocal tariffs" on US trading partners, including a 32 percent tax on goods from Taiwan that is set to take effect on Wednesday. At a Rose Garden event, Trump declared a 10 percent baseline tax on imports from all countries, with the White House saying it would take effect on Saturday. Countries with larger trade surpluses with the US would face higher duties beginning on Wednesday, including Taiwan (32 percent), China (34 percent), Japan (24 percent), South Korea (25 percent), Vietnam (46 percent) and Thailand (36 percent). Canada and Mexico, the two largest US trading
GRIDLOCK: The National Fire Agency’s Special Search and Rescue team is on standby to travel to the countries to help out with the rescue effort A powerful earthquake rocked Myanmar and neighboring Thailand yesterday, killing at least three people in Bangkok and burying dozens when a high-rise building under construction collapsed. Footage shared on social media from Myanmar’s second-largest city showed widespread destruction, raising fears that many were trapped under the rubble or killed. The magnitude 7.7 earthquake, with an epicenter near Mandalay in Myanmar, struck at midday and was followed by a strong magnitude 6.4 aftershock. The extent of death, injury and destruction — especially in Myanmar, which is embroiled in a civil war and where information is tightly controlled at the best of times —
China's military today said it began joint army, navy and rocket force exercises around Taiwan to "serve as a stern warning and powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence," calling President William Lai (賴清德) a "parasite." The exercises come after Lai called Beijing a "foreign hostile force" last month. More than 10 Chinese military ships approached close to Taiwan's 24 nautical mile (44.4km) contiguous zone this morning and Taiwan sent its own warships to respond, two senior Taiwanese officials said. Taiwan has not yet detected any live fire by the Chinese military so far, one of the officials said. The drills took place after US Secretary