Travel Agent Association (TAA) chairman Yao Ta-kuang (姚大光) asked Chinese travel service providers yesterday to reject any deal that promises to offer package tours in Taiwan for less than US$80 per day.
“Please understand that this is a reasonable minimum charge [per day],” he said. “We will also regulate our own travel agencies and discipline anyone who rips off customers.”
Yao further assured the Chinese firms that the Tourism Bureau would take “strong administrative measures” to prevent malicious competition among travel agencies in Taiwan.
Yao said that he hoped that there would be 3,000 Chinese tourists arriving each day starting on July 18.
He also advised the Chinese government to regulate their travel agents, as he has heard some Chinese travel agents had started asking their Taiwanese counterparts for 500,000 yuan (US$73,000) before they would send any Chinese tourists.
Yao made the remarks at a seminar yesterday afternoon, where 39 Chinese travel service representatives who have been touring the nation in the past 10 days were scheduled to share their thoughts and observations before they leave tomorrow.
Former TAA chairman Johnson Tseng (曾盛海) reminded the Chinese representatives that the tour they have been on would cost at least US$200 a day.
The representatives, who are from all over China, arrived on June 16 to acquire first-hand information that would help them design tours for their customers.
While most of the representatives said Taiwan has sufficient resources for the arrival of Chinese tourists, they were some practical suggestions for improvement offered during the seminar.
One of the Chinese representatives said that hotels receiving Chinese tourists should provide shampoo and other toiletries, while the tour buses should provide small pillows or blankets for passengers.
He also said that Chinese travel agents need to be provided with a table of estimated travel times between cities so that they can plan their schedules more accurately.
As Chinese tourists generally prefer food with a strong taste, restaurants should also prepare vinegar or other condiments for them, he said.
He also asked the Taiwanese tour guides to arrange for Chinese tourists to stop at stores selling a variety of products to avoid any shopping disputes.
Another representative said that restaurants should provide less seafood and more local Taiwanese cuisine.
She said that Alishan and Sun Moon Lake were also the favorite scenic destinations of local tourists and expressed concern that hotels in those areas may not have enough rooms to accommodate the influx of Chinese guests.
She also complained that there were not enough trash cans at some of the scenic spots. The parking lots at the spots may not have the capacity for so many extra tour buses, she said.
Still another representative said she wondered if Taiwan had enough quality tour guides to lead the Chinese tour groups.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
Starting next month, people who signed up for the TPass 2.0 program can receive a 15 percent rebate for trips on mid to long-distance freeway buses or on buses headed to the east coast twice every month, the Highway Bureau said. Bureau Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said the government started TPass 2.0 to offer rebates to frequent riders of public transportation, or people who use city buses, highway buses, trains or MRTs at least 11 times per month. As of Nov. 12, 265,000 people have registered for TPass 2.0, and about 16.56 million trips between February and September qualified for
RSS