Although most tourism industry operators said they are ready for Chinese tourists, academics say that services and immigration-related facilities still need to be improved.
President-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has promised to begin direct cross-strait weekend charter flights in July that would allow 3,000 Chinese tourists to visit per day in the initial stages, with the number increasing to 10,000 per day within four years.
Right now, only 1,000 Chinese tourists per day are allowed into Taiwan and they are required to transfer through a third country.
At a public hearing at the Legislative Yuan yesterday, China Airlines (CAL) president Chao Kuo-shuai (趙國帥) said that “China Airlines and EVA Air have been preparing [for direct cross-strait flights] for more than 10 years.”
So have hotel operators and bus companies.
Chiu Hsing-kui (邱祥桂), president of the Republic of China Federation of Hotel Operators, said among the 100,400 hotel rooms in Taiwan, only 60 percent to 70 percent are constantly occupied.
“Chinese tourists can certainly help to fill the rooms that are often not used,” he said.
Hsu Meng-yu (徐夢育), vice president of the Republic of China Federation of Tour Bus Company Operators said that tour bus companies have been preparing since the government announced that Chinese tourists may be allowed several years ago.
On average, a Chinese tourist spends approximately US$2,000 during an eight-day trip, “and the related economic benefit is 2.7 to 3.3 times that amount,” president of the Travel Agent Association of the Republic of China Yao Ta-kuang (姚大光) said.
However, some are still sounding a cautionary note.
Assistant professor at Minchuan University’s School of Tourism, Yang Jyh-yih (楊志義), said that the industry needs to pay more attention to its service.
“The product is ready — but is the service ready? Can we give the guests a convenient, safe and comfortable trip? Do we have enough certified tour guides?” he asked.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) told the industry not to put all its hope in new Chinese tourists.
“Of course Chinese tourists will help boost our tourism industry, but what if the Chinese government decides to stop their people from traveling to Taiwan for some reason? Are all the investments going to be in vain?” she said. “We do need to invest more to improve the quality of our tourism sector — not just for Chinese tourists, but for tourists from all countries.”
In related news, the Taipei City Government’s deputy secretary-general Chen Yoong-ren (陳永仁) said yesterday the city government, in order to lure more Chinese tourists to Taipei, is cooperating with the Taoyuan County Government to plan a tour package featuring activities and sights relating to dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son, Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國).
The city will also create shopping and gourmet tour packages to attract Chinese tourists once they begin visiting the nation, Chen said during a meeting at Taipei City Hall.
Wu Chyou-mei (吳秋美), vice director of the city’s Department of Information and Tourism, said Chinese tourists are expected to bring annual revenues of NT$17 billion for the city.
Besides planning tour packages, Wu said the city government would also advise on the renewal and expansion of hotels and was looking to provide more than 4,000 hotel rooms for Chinese tourists by 2010.
Additional reporting Mo Yan-chih
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
A magnitude 5.1 earthquake struck Chiayi County at 4:37pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 36.3km southeast of Chiayi County Hall at a depth of 10.4km, CWA data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Chiayi County, Tainan and Kaohsiung on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Pingtung, Taitung, Hualien, Changhua, Nantou and Penghu counties, the data
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal filed by former Air Force officer Shih Chun-cheng (史濬程), convicted of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) espionage, finalizing his sentence at two years and two months for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法). His other ruling, a ten-month sentence for an additional contravention, was meanwhile overturned and sent to the Taichung branch of the High Court for retrial, the Supreme Court said today. Prosecutors have been notified as Shih is considered a flight risk. Shih was recruited by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence officials after his retirement in 2008 and appointed as a supervisor