The Institute for Business Development released a study on Wednesday stating what most people already knew — that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan is well below expectations, and those that do visit don’t spend as much money as forecast.
The results showed that spending by each tourist was only about half of government predictions, hardly surprising when the study also showed that a majority of the tourists were middle-aged Chinese from rural areas, probably visiting to experience the fabled “treasure island” they were taught to sing about during the height of the communist era.
The Tourism Bureau may have rebutted the IDB’s figures, but it cannot hide the fact that the tourism “silver bullet” touted by this administration has fallen way short of expectations. Not only that, but the influx of Chinese tourists has come at the expense of wealthier, bigger spenders from other countries in Asia.
And while they may have profited a few travel agents, hoteliers and trinket sellers, the growing hordes of Chinese visitors have also made it an increasingly difficult — and at times unpleasant — experience for many Taiwanese wanting to travel to some of the nation’s more popular tourist destinations. One can only hope that the numbers never reach the 10,000 per day figure bandied around by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) during his presidential campaign.
Another unwelcome side effect of the increasing number of Chinese visiting these shores is the rising number of individuals who decide to stay on illegally.
On the same day the institute’s study came out, the National Immigration Agency (NIA) admitted that about 4,000 Chinese are believed to be residing in Taiwan illegally.
While it is uncertain exactly what these 4,000 individuals are doing or whether they are working in labor-intensive industries or as spies, one thing is certain: Opening up to Chinese tourism on such a large scale makes it much easier for such people to enter Taiwan. This was a fact validated by a Coast Guard Administration official in a recent story in the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) about illegal Chinese immigrants.
Making it easier for nationals of what is effectively an enemy state to visit and therefore abscond poses a grave and obvious threat to national security and are not the actions of a competent government.
Yet just one day before the NIA announced these figures, the government further relaxed restrictions on certain groups of Chinese nationals who want to visit Taiwan. More worrying, the agency also announced that it was “streamlining” the process of validating travel documents.
From scenic spots with not enough hotel space for the number of tourists to the potential damage caused by increased numbers of Chinese spies entering the country, this is what you get when a government is in such a rush to implement a policy that it doesn’t stop to think through the implications
While there is nothing wrong with allowing Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan, their numbers should be managed in a way that places Taiwan’s national interest — not profit — as the priority.
Events over the last 18 months have made it quite clear that this government is not up to the task.
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