Chinese tour groups are not likely to come to Taiwan until next year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) told the legislature’s Transportation Committee yesterday.
“We have learned through our unofficial channel of communications that [Chinese tourists] are unlikely to come this year. We will see about next year,” Wang told Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁).
The government has since last month allowed Chinese living or studying outside China, or in Hong Kong or Macau, to visit Taiwan for tourism.
Photo: Tu Chien-jung, Taipei Times
The Mainland Affairs Council on Aug. 24 said that it aimed to fully resume cross-strait tourism following a 30-day preparation period, and would cap the number of Chinese group travelers to Taiwan at 2,000 per day in the initial phase, adding that the same daily quota would also apply to Taiwanese tour groups traveling to China.
When cross-strait tourism could resume would depend largely on China’s response to the new policy, the council said.
However, the council said at the end of last month that it has yet to receive any official response from Beijing.
“We must be crystal clear about where we stand on cross-strait tourism issues. We have shown goodwill and would allow Taiwanese tour groups to visit China, but if Beijing only allows Taiwanese to visit China while continuing to impose a travel ban to Taiwan for Chinese group travelers, it would eventually hurt our hoteliers and restaurateurs,” Wang said.
Separately, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) blamed the Tourism Administration for a lack of growth in international visitor numbers.
The World Tourism Organization has projected that this year’s international tourism market is expected to return to at least 80 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels, up from 63 percent last year, Lee said.
The report also states that the recovery of international tourism in some countries could reach 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels this year, Lee said.
From January to August, Taiwan welcomed 3.82 million international travelers, which accounted for only 48 percent of international arrivals during the same period in 2019, Lee said.
By contrast, 7.34 million Taiwanese had traveled overseas as of August, which was 62.8 percent of the number recorded during the same period in 2019.
In Japan, the total number of inbound tourists had as of August recovered to 70 percent of the 2019 level, Lee said, citing data from the Japan National Tourism Organization.
The number of international arrivals in Japan in August returned to 86 percent of the level recorded in the same month in 2019.
Even if the Tourism Administration could manage to reach its goal of 6 million international tourists visiting Taiwan this year, it would only be 49 percent of the level recorded before COVID-19, Lee said.
Domestic tourism also showed no signs of recovery, Lee said.
The average hotel occupancy rate during the Mid-Autumn Festival long weekend was 49.28 percent, while that for the Double Ten National Day long weekend was 59.93 percent, he said.
Lee said there were several hurdles for Taiwan in attracting international tourists, including difficulties in transiting between different public transport systems, confusing road signs, a lack of characteristics in some tourist attractions and tours with low cost-performance ratios.
In response, Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said that Japan would not have mostly returned to its pre-COVID-19 levels if it discounted Chinese tourists, adding that the devaluation of the Japanese yen also prevented many Japanese from traveling overseas.
“We would increase our offices overseas, which would be in charge of conducting tourism campaigns to attract international travelers,” Chou said.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS