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.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS