M’land Tourists’ Decline Because of DPP’s Victory Leads to Misery of Tourism Industry

 M’land Tourists’ Decline Because of DPP’s Victory Leads to Misery of Tourism Industry

China Times Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan)

January 13, 2020

 Translation of an Excerpt

Tsai Ing-wen has won re-election as President and the DPP has maintained a majority of seats in the Legislative Yuan, adding variables to the already strained cross-Strait relations. Chung Hsing Travel Service yesterday led the industry in announcing that before the yearend, it had shut down its Taichung branch, which was running exclusively Mainland tourist business; the industry operator indicated that the branch did not sense any future. The National Tourism Business Association urged the Tsai government that many cross-Strait matters were complementary, hoping that “tourism is our country’s lifeline” was not just a slogan, and that besides tourists from ASEAN countries, we also needed Mainland tourists.

Roget Hsu, president of the Taiwan International Tourism Rescue Services Association, indicated that high government officials, including Tsai Ing-wen, all said that the government’s policy on welcoming Mainland tourists remained unchanged, but when operators actually handled cases of Mainland tourist applications to Taiwan for review, they only felt that the procedures became more stringent, and did not feel any easing. When government agencies implement policies, they should march in unison, not a slogan on the top level, while execution at the bottom becomes another matter. For instance, not long ago, the prosecutors and police brought in for interview operators that handled cross-Strait exchanges; the matter has not been resolved to date.

Hsiao Po-jen, president of the National Travel Business Association, emphasized that cross-Strait exchanges should not be cut off, tourism operators were "nervous", worrying that the details of the "Anti-Infiltration Act" were fuzzy, affecting not only Mainland tourists to Taiwan, but even Taiwan residents wishing to visit the Mainland would worry. At that time, when operators on the other side of the Strait promote new routes, inviting Taiwan operators on an observation tour, the Taiwan operators would be worried that the sponsoring units all belong to the public sector across the Strait, thus they, in order to avoid troubles, would probably decline for fear of accidentally violating the law.

Hsiao Po-jen appeals to Tsai Ing-wen, urging the Tsai government not to abandon cross-Strait exchanges, saying that it must strengthen cross-Strait relations. Hsiao Po-jen says that many cross-Strait matters are complementary and that we should not forsake where it is near and seek where it is far, hoping “tourism is our country’s lifeline” is not just a slogan, and that besides welcoming Southeast Asian tourists, we still need to plough deep for Mainland tourism opportunities.

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