Source: Overseas Network
Overseas Network January 19th The 2020 Taiwan election has ended. The Tsai Ing-wen authorities refuse to recognize the "1992 Consensus" and continue to restrict cross-strait exchanges. The number of mainland tourists visiting Taiwan has greatly reduced. Recently, Taiwan's "Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications" even stated that the previous "tourism subsidy program" will definitely not be extended, but said that an additional NT$200 million (NT$) will be spent on overseas marketing in the future. In response, Taiwan's tourism industry angrily stated that it "cannot survive that day" and that Taiwan's "tourism" industry will soon become "out of business".
According to Taiwan's "China Times" report, Taiwan's "Ministry of Transportation and Tourism Bureau" recently determined that the "Expanded Autumn and Winter Tourism Incentive Subsidy Program" that is about to expire at the end of January will not be extended, but claimed that subsidies will be provided in other ways in the future. In addition, Taiwan's "Ministry of Transportation Tourism Bureau" also issued a "blank check", saying that it would spend an additional 200 million yuan (NT$) on overseas marketing to attract tourists from other regions.
People in Taiwan’s tourism industry don’t buy it. People in the tourism industry pointed out that the Tsai administration has been unable to deliver specific tourism policies after being re-elected, and cross-strait relations are now so tense. The Taiwan authorities' "blank check" cannot solve the current plight of tourism industry operators. Hotels and hotels are sold in central and southern Taiwan. The retreat of B&Bs has never stopped, and Taiwan’s tourism industry will become “closed” sooner or later.
Zhang Rongnan, chairman of the Taiwan Hotel Association, pointed out that after Taiwan’s 2020 election, almost all Taiwan’s “tourism concept stocks” collapsed. Nowadays, mainland tourists are not coming, international tourists are spending less, and illegal B&B operators are rampant. Various factors are oppressing Taiwan's tourism industry. Zhang Rongnan said that when the number of tourists was 8 to 9 million, Taiwan's tourism industry operators felt a sense of vitality. Now that the number of tourists has exceeded 11 million, hotel operators are not feeling the heat.
Zhang Rongnan also said that the "200 million future strategy" proposed by the Taiwan authorities is too far away, and Taiwan's tourism industry operators may not be able to wait for that day.
In fact, since the Democratic Progressive Party administration came to power, mainland tourists have dropped sharply, and many tourism operators and businesses in Taiwan have been complaining. Some netizens recently exposed a series of live scenes of the Ziqiang Night Market in Dongdamen, Hualien, with sparse crowds. Facing two rows of "empty" benches, the street performers didn't even know whether to continue playing. The desolate scene caused the people to shout: "Give me back the Chinese tourists!"
According to Taiwan's "Dongsen News Cloud" report, since this year Starting from February, "independent travel" tourists will "return to zero", and it is estimated that Taiwan will earn less than NT$4.5 billion per month. Some industry insiders bluntly said: "Many colleagues will be miserable!"
In response, Ma Xiaoguang, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that the reasons for the decline in the number of mainland residents traveling to Taiwan are well known. The Democratic Progressive Party authorities continue to clamor for "Taiwan independence" activities and continue to incite opposition. Mainland hostility has worsened the atmosphere of cross-Strait exchanges and hurt the feelings of mainland compatriots. It is impossible not to affect the willingness of mainland people to travel to Taiwan. The kinship between compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is the driving force for mainland residents to travel to Taiwan. Only when cross-strait relations are good can Taiwan be good. The pilot program for mainland residents to travel to Taiwan for individual travel was carried out against the background of peaceful and stable development of cross-Strait relations. We hope that cross-Strait relations will return to the right track of peaceful development. (Overseas Network Zhang Shasha)
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