Tourist arrivals increase by 1.87%

By Huang Li-hsiang, Wang Chin-yi and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writer





Although the number of Chinese tourists declined by 12 percent last month from the same period last year, the number of visitors from other nations has risen, leading to an overall increase of 1.87 percent, the Tourism Bureau said.

While travel agencies and media outlets have said since the Jan. 16 elections that there could be a 30 percent drop in Chinese tourists — with estimates of a 70 percent drop over the summer — that has not been the case, the bureau said.

The number of tourists from Southeast Asia has increased the most, with Indonesian and Vietnamese numbers increasing by 24 percent and 21 percent respectively, while arrivals by Singaporeans fell by 4 percent.

The number of Thai visitors has increased by 59.12 percent, while the number of visitors from the Middle East has increased by 36 percent, the bureau said.

Last month saw a 19.03 percent increase in European tourists, while tourists from the Americas have increased by 15 percent, it said.

While the data only covered last month and longer observation is required, there was an increase of between 2 percent and 20 percent for non-Chinese tourists from January to last month, while Chinese tourists fell by 0.23 percent. bureau officials said, adding that they are expecting a similar drop in Chinese tourist arrivals this month.

There has been a dip in the number of Chinese visitors, but it is far less dramatic than speculated, the bureau said, adding that this was an opportunity for Taiwan’s tourism industry to transition from bulk tourism to quality tourism.

Lee Meng-lung (李孟龍), the owner of the Justice Ice store in Hualien, said that a drop in the number of Chinese tourists would impact more on the tour bus/travel agency/boutique sectors.

However, Lee said that those industries ran a high risk with their business models from the get-go, as their desire to “make easy and fast money” caused them to place all their eggs in one basket.

Lee said his store and other establishments made more money over the four-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday last week because of an increase in Taiwanese customers, adding that despite the higher number of Chinese tourists inthe previous years, he did not make much money from them.

The decrease in Chinese tourists and an increase in domestic travelers would benefit local businesses, he said.