The Nantou County Government is concerned about hotel capacity, as it estimates some 3,000 Chinese tourists per day could pour into the Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) area.
County government statistics showed that 33 hotels in Yuchih (魚池) and Shuili (水里) townships near Sun Moon Lake are able to provide nearly 1,000 rooms and accommodate some 2,000 tourists every day.
But the capacity of four-star hotels near the Sun Moon Lake area is likely to fall short of demand as larger numbers of Chinese tourists are permitted to enter Taiwan, county government officials said.
Local hoteliers say that most Chinese tourists would probably stay at medium priced four-star hotels, rather than at high-end or budget hotels.
In the past two years, between 15,000 and 20,000 Chinese tourists visited Nantou County each year, county government statistics showed. In addition to the perennially popular Sun Moon Lake, the Chung Tai Buddhist Temple — the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia — is also in Nantou County.
Demand for accommodation is expected to spike in the Sun Moon Lake area, particularly after July 18 when Taiwan will begin allowing up to 3,000 tourists from China to visit daily, the officials said.
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