The number of Chinese visiting Taiwan as part of tour groups has decreased by 30 percent ahead of the Jan. 16 presidential and legislative elections, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Jian-yu (陳建宇) said yesterday.
The figure was obtained by comparing the average number of Chinese tourists arriving per day this week with those arriving during the same period last month, a Tourism Bureau official said.
However, no change has been seen in the number of independent travelers arriving from China, Chen said, in response to reports in local media that the overall number of Chinese tourists arriving per day had dropped by 70 percent.
China is allowing fewer tourists to visit Taiwan in groups because it wants them to avoid election hotspots, Chen said at a news conference yesterday following a weekly Cabinet meeting.
Those who are allowed to travel to Taiwan have been advised by Chinese authorities to avoid visiting sensitive areas, he added.
In the first 11 months of the year, visitor arrivals from South Korea increased 23.4 percent year-on-year, compared with a 5.95 percent growth in arrivals from China, he said.
The 10 millionth foreign visitor to Taiwan this year — a record high — is expected to arrive on Saturday, Chen said.
The Tourism Bureau said it will send staff to eight airports and ports across the nation to welcome the visitor and has prepared 100 souvenir items to give to them.
The government would set a new goal of 10.75 million foreign tourists for next year, Chen said.
The record high will also be a milestone in Taiwan’s tourism sector, with the country having seen a steady increase of 1 million foreign arrivals per year since 2008, Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said.
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