Tourism bureau unveils Chiang Kai-shek tours

Despite the ongoing controversy surrounding dictator Chiang Kai-shek's (蔣介石) legacy, the Tourism Bureau came up yesterday with tour packages featuring Chiang-related activities and sights in an attempt to lure more Chinese tourists to the country.

The bureau produced the packages in response to an April 11 proposal made by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Yeh Yi-ching (葉宜津), who suggested during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Yuan that government authorities draw up Chiang-related tour packages exclusively catering to Chinese tourists, as everything connected with Chiang is of great interest to them, tourism officials said.

The packages involve some of Chiang's well-known residences around the country, including the Jiaobanshan Resort Park in Taoyuan County, the Shihlin Residence in Taipei City, the Hsitzu Bay Chateau in Kaohsiung, the Chengching Building in Kaohsiung City and the Tsuenta Chateau in Nantou County, the officials said.

A tourism operator quoted recent tallies as showing that a total of 15,800 Chinese tourists visited Taiwan during the first quarter of this year, down 18 percent from the same period last year.