The Tourism Bureau should head interdepartmental efforts to develop mountain tours in Taiwan, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書) said in a news conference yesterday.
The bureau spent NT$9 million (US$298,636) producing a short film about Taiwan’s mountains to attract more international tourists, but it does not have any measures in place for people interested in doing mountain tours after they see the film, Huang said.
“International tourists would not know the transport options available to them. Nor would they know how to apply for permits to hike in the mountains or how to arrange their mountain hikes,” Huang said.
Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, government agencies are passing the buck on how to regulate for-profit mountain tours, he said, adding that no agency is responsible for the safety of travelers.
Mountains within national parks are regulated by the Ministry of Interior and hiking trails in forests are overseen by the Forestry Bureau under the Council of Agriculture, Huang said.
Licensing for qualified mountain guides is issued by the Sports Administration and the Tourism Bureau is charge of regulating travel agencies and tour guides and protecting tourists’ safety, he added.
The authorities involved in developing mountain tours are scattered, he said.
The government has different applications rules for different routes and even Taiwanese find them confusing, he said.
Most hiking guides in Taiwan do not speak English or other foreign languages, which can expose international tourists to higher risks, Huang added.
Japan provides various promotional materials and easily accessible application procedures for international tourists interested in climbing Mount Fuji or other mountains, Huang said, but the Tourism Bureau’s Web site has only a few links to other Web sites about hiking in Taiwan.
“It is a shame that we have so many mountainous areas, but we do not provide tours for domestic and international travelers,” he said, adding that the Tourism Bureau needs to set up a platform with other agencies and identify mountain routes that could be recommended to tour operators.
Wildman International Travel and Tours Co general manager Yang Chih-ming (楊志明) said that only Yushan (玉山) has an international tourist quota, but Yushan National Park Ecological Protected Area requires people to register three months before their estimated date of arrival.
No such quota system is in place for Hsuehshan (雪山) or Dabajianshan (大霸尖山), which are featured in the bureau’s film, Yang said.
His groups have to compete with Taiwanese hiking groups for limited places at least one month ahead of arrival, he said.
Travel agencies have to arrange for a Taiwanese to stay behind as an emergency contact, he said, adding that this is inconvenient for many foreign travelers.
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