A new law in China that bans travel agencies from arranging shopping trips for tourist groups will have a short-term impact on the tourism market in Taiwan, but will bring positive developments in the long run, representatives of the local tourism industry said.
The law, to be implemented starting on Oct. 1, is likely to have a short-term impact on Taiwanese travel agencies due to the possibility of a decrease in the number of Chinese tourist groups coming to Taiwan, Travel Agents Association chairman Yao Ta-kuang (姚大光) said.
The number of Chinese tourist groups visiting Taiwan is expected to drop by at least 20 percent after the implementation of the law, according to travel industry estimates.
The reduction is expected because travel agencies will need to raise prices for Chinese tour groups as they will no longer be able to obtain commissions from the stores they put on their shopping itineraries, Ivan Lin (林聰敏) of China Travel Service said.
For example, the cost per person for a tour group from southeastern China is about 3,000 Chinese yuan (US$490), but this might be increased to as much as 7,000 yuan following implementation of the law, Lin said.
However, both Yao and Lin said that from a long-term perspective, the new law would bring positive developments to local tourism.
The Tourism Bureau also said that increased travel costs will reduce the number of Chinese groups visiting Taiwan.
However, from the long-term perspective of cross-strait tourism, the new law will help improve the quality of travel in Taiwan, the bureau said.
Many travel agencies have been offering lower prices in a bid to attract clients, but they usually include shopping trips on their travel itineraries to boost profits by earning commissions from the stores to which they bring their groups.
While some Chinese tourists welcome the opportunity to shop for souvenirs, many complain they do not have enough time to see the sights as a result of too many shopping stops.
Meanwhile, the bureau said it will continue to make efforts to attract independent travelers from China, who will be unaffected by the new law.
In the long term, the number of Chinese travelers to Taiwan will continue to grow, it predicted.
Taiwan attracted a record 2.23 million visitors from China last year. During the first six months of this year, nearly 1.4 million Chinese visitors came to Taiwan.
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
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
RSS