Taipei Times: How has the local tourism industry been affected by the attacks on the US in September?
Stanley Yen (
PHOTO: CEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
And this is only beginning. We've just gone through the first shock and this problem is not over yet. Travellers from neighboring countries will be the first to come back. It will take a little longer for visitors from America to return as they've got enough to worry about right now.
Japanese tourist numbers had shown very steady double-digit growth prior to the September attacks. In fact, we were hoping this year would be the first time we welcomed one million visitors from Japan but now we are going to struggle to reach those numbers.
TT: What measures is the government and tourism industry taking to get tourists to return to Taiwan?
Yen: We immediately reestablished regional marketing activities [following the attacks]. We are planning to send promotional delegations to Singapore, Hong Kong and major cities in Japan. Since one of the most popular attractions in Taiwan is the food, we will be sending 10 chefs from different areas of Taiwan with the delegations, along with entertainers, singers and some outstanding artists.
The promotional delegations will show people that it's never been a better time to travel to Taiwan because everything is cheaper now. We are speaking with the hotels and airlines about offering special promotions. Singapore and Taiwan have already announced a no visa requirement for Singaporean visitors and any second-time visitor from Hong Kong can apply for a visa on arrival. That is a major change in government policy. Additionally, Taiwan is a very safe tourist destination.
TT: The government is currently considering establishing a casino on the outlying island of Penghu to bolster tourism there. With no experience in regulating legalized gambling in Taiwan, do you think the proposal is a good idea?
Yen: I think people need to be totally [educated] on the pros and cons -- and not by someone who wants to win an election or someone who wants to develop his land and earn a profit. We should invite people who are for and against the idea and hold numerous debates in the public arena to make [the public more] aware. The government is looking into regulating the gambling industry and trying to determine whether we will be able to deal with the environmental changes.
These are the things the local people, the government and members of the legislature have to be fully briefed on and evaluate before they make a decision. They have only been told the positive effects -- such as how much their land will increase in value and how many jobs will be created. If we only show the positive and not the negative, we are misleading people.
TT: Is Penghu a suitable location for a casino?
Yen: Opening a casino in a remote location like Penghu Island will make it very hard to compete in the casino market. We have to study what makes a successful casino. Las Vegas was not build solely from gambling. Casinos are just one of the factors that bring in cash and resources for development.
It will also be hard to build the infrastructure; accessibility is important. You also have to look at weather conditions which is very important for tourists. People will go there for more than just gambling. They will want to go there to have fun with their family and conventions as well.
Basically casinos have two sides: gambling and entertainment. So in order to attract tourists, success is [tied] to the potential to develop tourism there. If casinos are only about gambling then it has nothing to do with tourism. Personally I'm still reluctant to think that it is a solution [to the problem of bolstering the tourism sector]. I think it's more important to look at what other alternatives we have. We have had a tough enough time trying to run a strict professional baseball league -- are we really ready to run legalized gambling? Something that will risk leading to other activities such as prostitution? Is the community really prepared for that?
TT: The government is planning to allow tourists from China to visit Taiwan. What immediate benefits will an influx of Chinese tourists have for the industry?
Yen: It will be mixed. China's economy is becoming very strong. More and more people can afford to travel now. But obviously, like any country, new travelers are looking for something exciting and different. So we have to look at destinations that are suitable for mainland tourists. While most mainland tourists are looking for something big and exciting, there will be a lot of tourists looking for something inexpensive and more practical. We are ready for that.
However, if we are expecting mainland tourists to bring in lots of cash we will probably be disappointed. In any case, between Taiwan and China there should be more communication through more visitors. The purpose of welcoming Chinese visitors to Taiwan is not only for profit making. It is to improve the understanding of the two sides. Once this happens, the government should run a publicity campaign to encourage Taiwanese to be good hosts and make sure [the Chinese tourists] are well treated as visitors.
TT: How will the technical details of the plan be worked out?
Yen: I have already started to invite travel organizations from all the major cities in China to visit Taiwan. In fact I just invited a group of general managers from China Travel Service in Guangdong. They came over and met with members of the private sector. It is important to get to know each other.
So right now there is no problem with private sector communication. It's more important to see what kind of policy the government is going to establish. We know more or less what the policy is going to be but it still hasn't been put into practice. [For example, the government's proposal of] 1,000 tourists per day, that's just a number [being tossed around] that hasn't been made official yet.
Other factors [still yet to be finalized include] who should come first, what the screening process should be and how to manage people who fail to return home. Right now our advice to the government is to deal with group visas first. We give all the major agents a quota and if their tours go smoothly then we increase their quota. But if groups arranged by certain travel agents are causing problems then we will probably stop their quota. By doing that, hopefully we will create an internal screening policy.
TT: How soon do you expect to see Chinese tourists in Taiwan and will Beijing play ball and allow their citizens to visit?
Yen: It's not going to happen before the elections because the elections are too sensitive. But we hope as soon as possible. As for China, if five years ago our government had said we're going to open three links and allow Chinese to come to Taiwan, they would have given it their full support. In a recent trade deal with Turkey one of the conditions for allowing more Chinese exports was a promise that Beijing would allow a certain number of tourists to visit Turkey.
So they are smartening up and now understand that sending tourists to Taiwan could be a bargaining chip. A few years ago Taiwan sent a lot more tourists to China than businessmen. In the beginning we tried to stop people from going but we couldn't.
However, after the Qiandao Lake incident [in March 1994, 24 tourists from Taiwan and eight Chinese crew members and tour guides died in suspicious circumstances while on a cruise of Qiandao Lake in Zhejiang Province] ... our country said that if you don't improve the safety situation we will stop allowing people to visit China. We used that as a bargaining chip. They understand sending tourists over here could also be a bargaining chip for them.
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