Chiayi City serves as a relay station for mainland tourists coming to Alishan for sightseeing. At least 1.1 million mainland tourists come to Chiayi City every year, which drives the growth of local hotels. The shrinking number of mainland tourists has a huge impact. Huang Guofang, chairman of Yutong Hotel, accepted an exclusive interview with China Review News and analyzed that the current number of mainland tourists is only about 20% of that in 2016, and they are all relying on the gritty efforts of the "International Travel Service". All parts of Taiwan should combine communities with local attractions to develop in-depth Day trips can boost tourism.
Huang Guofang
Huang Guofang, a native of Chiayi City, graduated from the Department of Architectural Engineering of the United Polytechnic College (today’s United University). In his early years, he was engaged in engineering design and construction. He once served as a member of the Taiwan Provincial Consultative Council. He is currently the chairman of Yutong Construction Company and the chairman of Yutong Hotel.
Talking about the impact of mainland tourists on tourism in Chiayi City, Huang Guofang said that before 2016, an average of 1.1 million mainland tourists came to Chiayi City for sightseeing every year. Calculated on a single day, there were 2,000 to 3,000 people a day. At that time, the main tourist attractions in Chiayi City were The daily occupancy rate of hotels has reached 60% to 70%, and the occupancy rate of hotels that cater to mainland tourists has reached over 90%.
Huang Guofang said that at that time, the mainland tourists stayed in Chiayi City, went to Alishan the next day, or came down from Alishan, stayed in Chiayi at night, and went to Sun Moon Lake and other scenic spots the next day. The urban shopping area is mainly centered around Wenhua Road Night Market, Xinyi Road, Zhongshan Road, and Xingda Road business district. Although Chiayi is only used as a relay station for tourism in Alishan, it is of great help to the local tourism and accommodation industry. The number of hotels in Chiayi City has grown from 52 in 2012 to more than 70 now. I even heard from colleagues at that time that mainland tourists were filling up all the major hotels in Chiayi City, including Tainan Xinying Hotel.
Huang Guofang said that after the suspension of independent travel by mainland tourists in August, compared with 2016, the number of mainland tourists coming to Chiayi City is now less than 20%, and the average performance of local hotels is still 30% to 40%. Take the Yutong Hotel he owns. He said that before 2016, the annual revenue was close to 50 million yuan (NTD), but now it is only more than 20 million yuan (NTD), which has shrunk by half.
Will Tsai Ing-wen’s implementation of the southbound policy help tourism? Huang Guofang said that based on his personal observation, the number of tourists from Southeast Asia has indeed increased, but their spending power is still not as good as that of mainland tourists. Moreover, starting from this year, Southeast Asian tourists will visit more northern attractions and rarely stay in Chiayi. Hotels in Chiayi City At present, we are relying on the "China Travel Service" to hold on through gritted teeth.
When it comes to tourism development strategies, Huang Guofang believes that many communities across Taiwan have done a good job in building in recent years. Tourism operators can cooperate with the government to connect local communities with major attractions and develop in-depth one-day tours. Although the Tsai administration's autumn and winter subsidies are somewhat helpful to the tourism and accommodation industry, they feel like "the left hand is supplementing the right hand." It is recommended that more national consumption coupons be issued, which can effectively stimulate national tourism consumption.
Source: China Commentary News Agency
