The travel industry will need to do more to ensure quality tourism for Chinese tourists after the number of daily entry permits for Chinese was raised yesterday from 5,000 to 7,000, industry experts said.
The diversity of itineraries should be improved, while more in-depth offerings — such as those centering on golf or ecological tours — should be promoted to maintain quality amid increasing tourist volume, Tourism Bureau Director-General David Hsieh (謝謂君) said.
The issue of quality travel has been highlighted after the government raised the daily quota for Chinese tour group members from 4,000 to 5,000 and the daily quota for independent visitors was raised from 1,000 to 2,000.
Roget Hsu (許高慶), secretary-general of the Travel Agent Association of the Republic of China, said the industry will need to work more closely with Chinese travel agencies to manage the expected influx of visitors.
This means travel agents will have to promote the benefits of traveling to Taiwan, even during off-peak seasons, by offering cheaper deals or travel packages with special themes, he said.
“We must first narrow the gap in tourist numbers between peak and off-peak seasons,” Hsu said, adding that the industry could face an immense challenge next month.
May is usually a time of high travel demand in China.
According to Tourism Bureau data, the number of Chinese visitors increased to more than 2.58 million last year, up nearly 45 percent from 2011.
Restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to be included in the Michelin Guide’s review for the first time this year, alongside existing entries from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the France-based culinary publication said yesterday. This year’s edition of the Michelin Guide Taiwan is to be unveiled on Aug. 19 in Taipei. In addition to the coveted star ratings, Michelin Taiwan would announce its “Bib Gourmand” selections — a distinction awarded to establishments offering high-quality food at moderate prices — on Aug. 12. This year’s Bib Gourmand list would also feature restaurants in New Taipei City, Hsinchu
A firefighter yesterday died after falling into New Taipei City's Xindian River when a rescue dinghy capsized during a search mission for a man who was later found dead. The New Taipei City Fire Department said that it received a report at 4:12pm that a 50-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), had fallen into the river. A 32-year-old firefighter, surnamed Wu (吳), was among the rescuers deployed to look for Chen, the fire department said, adding that he and five other rescue personnel were in the dinghy when it capsized. Wu had no vital signs after being pulled from the water to the
Organizing one national referendum and 26 recall elections targeting Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators could cost NT$1.62 billion (US$55.38 million), the Central Election Commission said yesterday. The cost of each recall vote ranges from NT$16 million to NT$20 million, while that of a national referendum is NT$1.1 billion, the commission said. Based on the higher estimate of NT$20 million per recall vote, if all 26 confirmed recall votes against KMT legislators are taken into consideration, along with the national referendum on restarting the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, the total could be as much as NT$1.62 billion, it said. The commission previously announced
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday welcomed NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s remarks that the organization’s cooperation with Indo-Pacific partners must be deepened to deter potential threats from China and Russia. Rutte on Wednesday in Berlin met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz ahead of a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of Germany’s accession to NATO. He told a post-meeting news conference that China is rapidly building up its armed forces, and the number of vessels in its navy outnumbers those of the US Navy. “They will have another 100 ships sailing by 2030. They now have 1,000 nuclear warheads,” Rutte said, adding that such
RSS