The ongoing plasticizer scare and a derailment on the Alishan Forest Railway in May could be behind a 30 percent drop in the number of Chinese tourists last month from the same period last year, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.
Statistics from the bureau showed that about 150,000 Chinese tourists visited Taiwan in May, a drop of 16 percent compared with the same period last year.
While the bureau says the temporary decline could be attributed to the train derailment, in which five Chinese tourists were killed, and the plasticizer scare, some travel agents believe the decline could continue this month and into next month.
Chen Chen-hung (陳振宏), a representative of the Comfort Travel Service Co, said Chinese tourists could have decided to wait for the implementation of the free independent traveler (FIT) policy on June 28 before making their travel plans.
July and August were generally not peak seasons for Chinese tourists, Chen said, adding that Japan is also promoting itself to foreign tourists with low-priced deals and South Korea could introduce deals aimed at attracting families, so the number of visitors to Taiwan could drop 20 percent more this month and next.
The FIT policy would not necessarily boost the number of Chinese tourists, because they are confused about the details, Chen said, noting the FIT program and package tours require different travel permits and follow different regulations.
Travel Agent Association Secretary-General Roget Hsu (許高慶) said the Tourism Bureau should come up with new promotional strategies and scenic spots to attract tourists since it has been three years since Chinese tourists were officially allowed to visit Taiwan.
Tourism Bureau Deputy Director General Wayne Liu (劉喜臨) said the bureau planned to offer more information sessions in provinces from which most Chinese tourists came — and seek to reassure Chinese that traveling in Taiwan is safe by relying on Chinese journalists based here.
Meanwhile, the Splendor Hotel Kaohsiung in Greater Kaohsiung said it was offering special treatment to the first Chinese FITs to visit the city.
The four visitors, from Amoy, Fujian Province, were greeted upon arrival at Kaohsiung International Airport on Wednesday night by Tourism Bureau officials and hotel staffers.
The Splendor said it would provide the visitors with Taiwanese cellphones, free airport pick-up and free shuttle bus service to the Zuoying Taiwan High Speed Rail station. During their two-night stay, the four would also have access to the hotel’s gym and its observatory free of charge, the hotel said. The hotel has been working with Far Eastern Department Store in the city to entice each of the tourists with NT$1,000 in gift coupons for the store.
Other department stores have also said they are ready to welcome the solo tourists. TALEES Department Store said it has printed a sightseeing brochure in simplified Chinese characters, while Dream Mall said it would give the tourists special shopping coupons.
Additional reporting by CNA
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS