The prospects for cross-Taiwan Strait tourist travel are bright despite the fact that a series of events have had an adverse impact on the sector in recent years, business sources said yesterday.
Taiwan travelers paid a total of more than 2.73 million visits to China last year, down by over 930,000 visits compared with the 2002 level, the sources reported. However, they pointed out that about 50 percent of all outbound passengers were headed for China, an indication that China has become the number one destination for Taiwan travelers.
Taiwan-based travel agencies, dedicated both to outbound and inbound tourism, have been mired in sluggishness due to a spate of incidents, ranging from the 2001 terrorist attacks on the US to last year's outbreak of SARS around the world, as well as the recent bird flu in Asia, they said.
They said, however, that they are confident that the domestic tourist industry will regain its vigor and continue to grow in the near future after the present woes come to an end.
The growth will be the result of various key advantages enjoyed by Taiwan with regard to China, such as cultural and linguistic similarities, as well as low costs in China.
Despite the current low, China's position as Taiwan's leading outbound tourist destination has not changed.
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