The Ministry of Transportation and Communications would take measures to improve the tourism experience in Kenting National Park, it said yesterday after reports of beach “chaos” sparked public outrage.
The ministry has informed the Tourism Administration, park management office and local authorities that regulations must be updated to boost the quality of tourism in the area, Acting Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Yen-po (陳彥伯) told a news conference yesterday.
His remarks follow days of negative media coverage about the park in Pingtung County, including parasol vendors chasing visitors who brought umbrellas or tents from the beach, overpriced barbecue at eateries, and a price war that brought down a beloved local venue.
Photo: Chen Yen-ting, Taipei Times
Local tourism and hospitality organizations are urged to work together to offer a higher quality tourism experience, and coordinate their marketing and sales strategy, he said.
Earlier that day, Taiwanese media outlets reported that Kenting National Park’s management office had sent a crew to demolish 180 illegal parasol installments and issued fines totaling NT$40 million (US$1.25 million) to unlicensed businesses.
The ministry remains committed to increasing the number of foreign tourists visiting the nation to 10 million by the end of the year, he said, adding that the campaign has “room for improvement.”
In other news, the Tourism Administration said Taiwan’s hotels and bed-and-breakfasts reported occupancy rates of 47 percent and 22.7 percent respectively, down from 50.2 percent and 26.5 percent in the same period last year.
A powerful earthquake on April 3, the reopening of borders following the COVID-19 pandemic and the New Taiwan dollar’s falling value against other currencies have contributed to the domestic tourism slump, it said.
Tremors from the April quake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, scared off tourists from Hualien County, where occupancy rates at hospitality venues have fallen to 10 to 20 percent, down from 40 to 60 percent in the same period last year, it said.
The average price of a hotel room was NT$2,885, compared with NT$2,956 in the same period last year, down 2 percentage points, it said.
The average price of a room at a bed-and-breakfast was down by about the same percentage from NT$2,533 to NT$2,488, the agency said.
Hospitality businesses operate on increasingly diverse models, with 78 percent of businesses offering rooms at below-average prices, it said, adding that luxury hotels, business motels and bed-and-breakfasts differed significantly in service and pricing.
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