Tourism Bureau to send delegation to China In June, 271,000 Chinese visitors arrived in Taiwan, the lowest figure in 30 months, reports said. In June, 271,000 Chinese visitors arrived in Taiwan, the lowest figure in 30 months, reports said.

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Tourism Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications will send a delegation to China in order to revive falling tourist interest in the island from that country, the government announced Friday.

The death of 24 Chinese citizens in a bus fire in Taoyuan on July 19 fomented fears for the safety of travelers, while the political climate, with Beijing taking a hesitant approach toward the new administration of President Tsai Ing-wen, also played a part in cutting the numbers of visitors from China.

In June, 271,000 Chinese visitors arrived in Taiwan, the lowest figure in 30 months, reports said.

The Tourism Bureau will form a delegation with representatives from the private sector and go to China to convince travelers they can visit Taiwan safely, Cabinet spokesman Tung Chen-yuan said Friday.

Concern about the development of visits from China has grown as a travel agency specializing in such packages reportedly went bankrupt earlier in the week. Tour bus operators, hotels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants, and souvenir shops dependent on spending by Chinese visitors have issued warning signals that their business could be threatened, despite the rise in the number of visitors from other sources, in particular South Korea and Japan.

Under its “New Southward Policy,” the government has also been attracting more tourists from Southeast Asia. Visitors from Thailand and Brunei no longer have to apply for a visa for visits to Taiwan.

Tung also said that the Tourism Bureau was expect to present a plan within two weeks on how to develop travel from China and find new sources of visitors from that country.

Attracting tourists from the communist country was still a key element of the government’s policy, the Cabinet spokesman said.

