China is promoting tourism to cities where Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidates won in the Nov. 24 elections, a source in the tourism industry said earlier this week.
Some had been expecting up to 4 million Chinese to visit Taiwan next year — a three-year high — but China has said it would not allow an increase in tourism to Taiwan during the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the source said on condition of anonymity.
Taichung, Kaohsiung and Yilan County are to see an increase in the number of Chinese visitors next year, but China would divert Taipei and New Taipei City-bound tour groups to those destinations, rather than allow an increase in tourism to the nation, the source said.
Photo copied by Ko Yu-hao, Taipei Times
China’s National Tourism Administration has since October been in talks with large industry operators in KMT-led cities, the source said, adding that during the latest meeting, earlier this month, the Chinese side indicated that Kaohsiung would be the primary destination in its tourism plans.
The Chinese tourism authority acknowledged that it has been boycotting Taiwan and that it felt the elections’ outcomes proved the strategy’s effectiveness, the source said.
It hopes to reward Kaohsiung voters, but wanted to do it in a way that would not allow Tsai to benefit, the source said.
Penghu, where KMT commissioner candidate Lai Feng-wei (賴峰偉) was elected last month, is to see an increase in visitors arriving by ship, the source said, adding that Hualien, where KMT commissioner-elect Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) is to take office, would see Chinese tourists arrive on chartered flights.
China’s manipulation of Taiwan-bound tourism has had profound consequences for local politics that are growing increasingly pervasive, Providence University Department of Tourism associate professor Huang Cheng-tsung (黃正聰) said.
The government’s response to China’s cutting off tourist flows over the past two years has been too slow and ineffective, he said.
Southern Taiwan was hit especially hard and early subsidies from the government were insufficient and hard to apply for, Huang said, adding that more recent subsidies were well-received, but too late for many operators.
It is possible that overall Chinese tourist numbers could increase by 15 percent next year, with a possible 30 percent increase in Kaohsiung alone, Huang said.
Chung Hsing Travel Service director Lee Chi-yueh (李奇嶽) said he expects an overall increase of 20 to 30 percent in Chinese tourist numbers next year.
Even tourists visiting other cities are likely to enter and leave through Kaohsiung, Lee added.
Chinese tourist numbers peaked in 2015, with 4.18 million visiting Taiwan, Tourism Bureau data showed.
There were 3.51 million Chinese visitors to Taiwan in 2016, 2.73 million last year and 2.25 million in the year to date, the data showed.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS