Local travel agencies yesterday painted a conservative outlook on the business opportunities that the opening up of the nation to Chinese tourists would bring, citing Beijing’s cap on the number of Chinese tourists allowed to visit Taiwan and a minimum spending requirement.
“Compared with trips to Europe, where tourists spend US$120 per night on average, several Chinese travel agencies have complained that our charges are too high,” Jack Lin (林健興), manager of the domestic tour department at Southeast Travel Service Co (東南旅行社), said yesterday.
The Tourism Bureau requires Chinese tourists to spend a minimum of US$80 per night, which would add up to US$560 for an eight days, seven nights tour.
However, Phoenix Tours International Inc (鳳凰旅行社) general manager Anthony Liao (廖文澄) said the minimum was acceptable.
The company offers three different pricing packages for a 10-day tour, ranging from US$800 to US$1,200.
Although the government has set a limit of 3,000 Chinese tourists per day, the Beijing government permits only 1,000 Chinese tourists to visit the nation per day.
Lion Travel Service Co (雄獅旅行社) said it was difficult to estimate the business opportunities that the Chinese tourists would bring because of the restrictions and the government’s “ever-changing” policy.
“Lion Travel Service is more conservative about the Chinese tourist market. We think that it will take at least another three months for the situation to become clearer,” said Roxy Luo (羅旭亭), a public relations official at Lion Travel Service.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said on Thursday that whether the launch of cross-strait charter flights would help boost the nation’s economy required “further observation.”
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
RSS