An overwhelming majority of the first batch of Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan via weekend direct charter flights were satisfied with their tours, the results of a survey released on Wednesday showed.
The Tourism Bureau distributed 644 questionnaires to Chinese tourists who arrived in Taiwan on July 4 on the maiden cross-strait charter flights and collected 193 valid samples.
More than 90 percent of respondents gave either a “very good” or “good” rating for the treatment they received during their package tours and up to 87 percent rated as “very good” the quality of the coaches used and their drivers’ customer service skills.
Meanwhile, 91.19 percent of those surveyed said they were most impressed by their tour guides’ attitude, professionalism and communications skills, while 86.54 percent said they were satisfied with tour guides’ ability to deal with emergencies or unusual incidents.
Generally speaking, most Chinese tourists gave a positive review of local tour guides’ hospitality.
Asked about their views on the prices of goods at stores where the travel agencies had arranged for them to shop, more than 70 percent said prices were generally reasonable. Major items they bought at the shops included foodstuffs, snacks, gift items, clothing and coral jewelry.
Many respondents also identified late-night snacks, spas and local specialties as their favorite aspects of their tours.
The Chinese tourists gave a mixed response to the local dishes arranged for them by travel agencies. Some suggested the addition of one or two more spicy dishes, while others said they felt the local dishes were generally good.
Most tourists were also satisfied with their lodgings, saying hotel accommodation was more than adequate and clean.
Up to 58 percent of the tour groups that visited via the maiden weekend charter flights spent 12,000 yuan (US$1,750) on group tour fees, the survey showed.
On their tour itineraries, many tourists said they hoped to see the addition of visits to the tombs of pop singer Teresa Teng (鄧麗君) and former dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son, former president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國).
Some respondents said they felt their travel schedules were too hectic and that they planned to make longer trips in future or hoped to go backpacking. At present, Chinese tourists are only permitted to visit in tour groups.
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