eTurboNews A delegation led by a top official of China's National Tourism Administration to Taiwan has raised hopes of opening the doors for Chinese tourists visiting the island.
Shao Qiwei, head of China's National Tourism Administration, led a 66-member delegation to see tourist spots around the island, including the tranquil Sun Moon Lake, the misty Alishan mountain range and the steep Taroko Gorge. "I am here for sightseeing and to feel the environment, experience the history, culture and religions," said Shao. "I hope to bring high-quality tourists to Taiwan."
As per the information available, in 2002, Taipei agreed to allow Chinese with residence permits in third countries to travel to the island but the number is still lower as compared to the visits to other countries.
"The number of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan rose from 2151 in 2002 to 19150 last year, with almost 14,000 coming to the island in the first six months of this year. But in August, Taipei finally announced it was ready to open the door a little wider and admit up to 1,000 Chinese tourists a day, depending on the result of bilateral talks. Officials said Shao's visit this week indicated Beijing wanted to reach an agreement soon. Such a deal would give the island a welcome boost. Taiwan's economy is expected to grow little more than 3 percent this year, trailing the performance of every Asian country except Japan," Financial Times reported.
Meanwhile, the local media suggested that Taiwan's tourism industry is not worried about the ability of local hotels and relevant authorities to handle an expected influx of tourists from China but it is deeply concerned about a vicious price war that could erupt in the battle for their custom.
"Brushing aside speculation that Taiwan streets will be packed with hordes of tourists from China after the government allows the opening, Tseng Sheng-hai, secretary-general of the Travel Agent Association of the Republic of China, described such rhetoric as far-fetched. As Taiwan is expected to allow as many as 1,000 Chinese tourists to visit Taiwan per day for a maximum stay of 10 days, only around 10,000 tourists from China would be in Taiwan on any given day, Tseng pointed out.
According to Chu Chung-hung, chairman of the Taiwan Scenic Spots Association, there are 22 listed recreational facilities in Taiwan that can accommodate a combined 15 million visitors per year - a figure that is far beyond the annual limit set by the government for around 360,000 Chinese tourists," according to a published report.
In terms of hotel accommodation, Tseng reported that there are a total of around 22,000 hotel rooms around the country, more than sufficient compared to the level of about 4,000 rooms needed to house Chinese tourists in the initial stages of the opening.
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