Tourism plan a sick joke
The story about government plans to triple the number of tourists arriving in Taiwan by 2008 is a sick joke ("Cabinet wants tourism task forces," June 29, page 4).
Taiwan's tourist industry is tawdry and dingy. Including the premier spots of Alishan, Taroko and Kenting, the industry is rife with overpriced accomodations, uncooperative staff, rooms with views of trash heaps and beaches polluted with sewage.
Added to this are numerous other failings of the industry. Advance rail-ticket sales have Byzantine rules, express buses leave from near-secret locations, excursions are often cancelled during holidays and signage is poor and inconsistent. Public washrooms are dirty or smelly, where available. And there is no rapid transit from Chiang Kai-shek airport to anywhere.
Within the industry, there is no cohesion whatsoever. There are no regional booking services and tourist offices are closed during peak holidays. And don't ask your hotel for help with making reservations; they will think you are demented (apart from in Hualien).
This is not just in the boonies, this is in Taipei. Ask any simple question at the information desk in the Taipei Main Train Station. The staff will at first ignore you, of course, and then 90 percent of the time, you will be given a blank stare. Then they will often tell you they don't know or that you cannot do whatever it is you want to do, or give you the wrong information.
Bringing in more foreign tourists would be a disaster. They will return home very angry and make sure no one else makes their mistake.
John Hanna
Taoyuan City
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