Taiwan Today

Premier Liu Chao-hsiuan urged the Tourism Bureau to open negotiations with Beijing on allowing semi-independent tours to Taiwan. Although the government further opened Taiwan to mainland visitors 12 months ago, President Ma Ying-jeou’s campaign promise of attracting 3,000 visitors daily is yet to be fulfilled. Allowing semi-independent tourism may help achieve this goal. But according to a bureau official, Beijing wants to keep their tourists in groups, making it unlikely the change will occur in the near future. Another suggestion is to reduce the number of visitors in a package tour to two or three. Beijing is lukewarm on this idea as it may lead to rising costs. Hsieh Wei-jiun, deputy director of the Tourism Bureau, said the number of mainland visitors arriving in Taiwan is temporarily down from the May Day holiday. He attributes this to the H1N1 swine flu virus and June’s examinations for mainland Chinese students. Mainland visitors are expected to increase after mid-July. As part of its drive to ensure mainland tourists have a pleasant stay in Taiwan, the bureau announced plans to compensate mainlanders with payments of between NT$10,000 (US$300) and NT$50,000 if instances of price gouging by local businesses are proven. The measure is awaiting approval from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications. Separately, to ease tourism pressure on Sun Moon Lake and Ali Mountain, the bureau plans to divert visitors to other regions in Taiwan. In-depth regional tours will be promoted on the other side of the strait to replace current round-the-island trips. In addition, the government is aiming to provide incentives for local businesses to upgrade their services. (TYH-JSM)