Public favors limits on Chinese tourism, Cabinet poll says

A survey conducted by the Cabinet’s Research, Development and Evaluation Commission last month showed that close to half of the public said the government should limit the entry of Chinese tourists to 3,000 per day.

In the poll, more than one-third of respondents said they had a very bad impression of Chinese tourists.

The survey was conducted to gauge public perception of the third round of cross-strait talks, including opening to Chinese tourists. Between April 29 and April 30, it collected 682 valid samples from interviews of people aged 20 and above.

Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai (賴瑟珍) yesterday said the survey would mainly serve as a reference for government organizations.

Lai said the bureau had not seen the questionnaires, so it did not know if the respondents singled out any issue they had with Chinese tourists.

The tourism chief said that it was the first time the majority had traveled overseas, and it was a brand-new learning experience for them.

Lai said it was similar to what happened decades ago when Taiwanese started traveling overseas. She said the bureau also had to educate the public about proper etiquette when traveling in other countries.

On Premier Liu Chao-­shiuan’s (劉兆玄) proposal to allow Chinese tourists to engage in independent travel, Lai said that the premier would prefer that these travelers still be guided by travel agents but in smaller groups of only two to three people.

Taiwan and China have agreed to lower the minimum number of people per group from 10 to five, but most of the visiting groups from China are still big, with more than 30 people each.

Current regulations also require Chinese tourists to enter and leave Taiwan as a group.

Lai said there had been some complaints from Chinese tourists that they had to follow the arrangements set by travel agents and did not have time to check things out when visiting scenic spots.

She said the bureau had suggested that travel agencies set aside about one-third of the Chinese tour groups’ time in Taiwan as free time.

However, not many travel agents seem keen on following the bureau’s advice, Lai said.

The bureau will start to provide incentives for tour agencies to do so, she added.