Visitors to Taroko National Park last month dropped by more than half compared with the same period last year following the earthquake that struck Hualien on Feb. 6.
There were about 440,000 visitors to the park in February last year, but last month, it only saw about 185,000 visitors, park administration chief Yang Mo-lin (楊模麟) said.
Baiyang Trail and other trails are to reopen soon, and the park plans to arrange various events and guided tours in a bid to encourage more people to visit and boost tourism in the county, Yang said.
“Business is indeed down after the earthquake. It is just terrible,” Taroko Village Hotel proprietor Cheng Ming-kang (鄭明岡) said.
Like many hoteliers, Cheng has been focusing on attracting domestic travelers after the decrease in Chinese tourist numbers.
Despite offering various package deals, 80 percent of reservations at the hotel were canceled after the quake, Cheng said.
“You will not see crowds in Hualien Train Station, downtown areas or scenic attractions like Taroko National Park,” he said.
Many hotel operators are pinning their hopes on the Taiwan Railways Administration’s tourism train service, Cheng said, although only 48 tourists used the service when it was launched on March 1, earlier than scheduled.
The Tourism Bureau is offering a temporary program to subsidize travel costs to Hualien for up to NT$500 per person if three or more people spend more than two nights in the city, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said.
Hualien County Hotel Association chairman Chen Yi-feng (陳義豐) said he hopes that the government, businesses and people would show their love for Hualien and consider holding training events, exhibitions and tours in the county.
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