The ongoing plasticizer scare and a derailment on the Alishan Forest Railway in May could be behind a 30 percent drop in the number of Chinese tourists last month from the same period last year, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.
Statistics from the bureau showed that about 150,000 Chinese tourists visited Taiwan in May, a drop of 16 percent compared with the same period last year.
While the bureau says the temporary decline could be attributed to the train derailment, in which five Chinese tourists were killed, and the plasticizer scare, some travel agents believe the decline could continue this month and into next month.
Chen Chen-hung (陳振宏), a representative of the Comfort Travel Service Co, said Chinese tourists could have decided to wait for the implementation of the free independent traveler (FIT) policy on June 28 before making their travel plans.
July and August were generally not peak seasons for Chinese tourists, Chen said, adding that Japan is also promoting itself to foreign tourists with low-priced deals and South Korea could introduce deals aimed at attracting families, so the number of visitors to Taiwan could drop 20 percent more this month and next.
The FIT policy would not necessarily boost the number of Chinese tourists, because they are confused about the details, Chen said, noting the FIT program and package tours require different travel permits and follow different regulations.
Travel Agent Association Secretary-General Roget Hsu (許高慶) said the Tourism Bureau should come up with new promotional strategies and scenic spots to attract tourists since it has been three years since Chinese tourists were officially allowed to visit Taiwan.
Tourism Bureau Deputy Director General Wayne Liu (劉喜臨) said the bureau planned to offer more information sessions in provinces from which most Chinese tourists came — and seek to reassure Chinese that traveling in Taiwan is safe by relying on Chinese journalists based here.
Meanwhile, the Splendor Hotel Kaohsiung in Greater Kaohsiung said it was offering special treatment to the first Chinese FITs to visit the city.
The four visitors, from Amoy, Fujian Province, were greeted upon arrival at Kaohsiung International Airport on Wednesday night by Tourism Bureau officials and hotel staffers.
The Splendor said it would provide the visitors with Taiwanese cellphones, free airport pick-up and free shuttle bus service to the Zuoying Taiwan High Speed Rail station. During their two-night stay, the four would also have access to the hotel’s gym and its observatory free of charge, the hotel said. The hotel has been working with Far Eastern Department Store in the city to entice each of the tourists with NT$1,000 in gift coupons for the store.
Other department stores have also said they are ready to welcome the solo tourists. TALEES Department Store said it has printed a sightseeing brochure in simplified Chinese characters, while Dream Mall said it would give the tourists special shopping coupons.
Additional reporting by CNA
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
RSS