To enhance the quality of the nation’s tourism and to cope with the influx of Chinese tourists, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) yesterday launched a comprehensive NT$150 million (US$4.8 million) two-year training project for workers in the sector.
Taiwan’s natural beauty attracts millions of foreign tourists every year, but to earn their loyalty, Taiwan needs to raise service quality in the industry, CLA Minister Wang Ju-hsuan (王如玄) said while announcing the new initiative at a press conference yesterday.
‘NOT INFERIOR’
“I seldom travel abroad now, because I’ve found that Taiwan’s scenery is not inferior to that in other countries. But the service attitude in Taiwan sometimes makes travelers uncomfortable,” she said.
Wang said NT$50 million would be allocated to the project this year and another NT$100 million next year to help local authorities train tour guides, receptionists, drivers and waiters at hotels and restaurants.
SUBSIDIES
Under the project, the government will subsidize local employment and vocational training offices to train people already at work or those who wish to work in the tourism sector.
Chinese spouses holding a work permit or other foreign spouses with a residency permit are also eligible for the program.
The CLA expects to train as many as 8,000 tourism workers per year.
The project is being launched in coordination with the government’s efforts to boost the number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan, the council said.
Taiwan signed an agreement with China in June to allow 3,000 Chinese tourists visit Taiwan per day.
To date, tourist arrivals from across the Taiwan Strait have been far lower than the cap, barely averaging in the hundreds.
Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai (賴瑟珍) said, however, the training program is a national campaign that would improve the experience of all travelers to Taiwan.
‘TOUCH YOUR HEART’
“The official slogan of Taiwanese tourism is ‘Taiwan Touch Your Heart,’ and what touches travelers’ hearts are those who have direct contact with them,” she said.
Saying that Taiwan received 3.72 million tourists last year, Lai expected the number of visitors could increase to 4 million this year and create an output of NT$400 billion.
The Executive Yuan launched a four-year, NT$20 billion project in June to further develop important scenic spots islandwide and build a better environment for tourists.
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