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Taiwan to ban group tours to China
The Mainland Affairs Council has banned group travel to China after 1 June, saying such tours will not be allowed unless China allows group travel to Taiwan. According to the council, the reopening of group travel to China is unacceptable, as it would widen Taiwan's tourism deficit with China.
The council says prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Taiwan's tourism deficit with China stood at NT$6.6 billion and if tour groups are allowed to travel there after 1 June that deficit will substantially increase.
Speaking at a legislative hearing council minister Chiu Tai-san told lawmakers the decision to ban such tours is also related to China's unilaterally changing its M-503 flight route, as it is clearly a political move aimed at interfering with Taiwan's affairs.
There have been calls for the government to provide support for affected Taiwan travel agencies due to concerns the ban could have wide-reaching effects. However, the transport ministry says data provided by the Tourism Administration shows that of the 4,038 registered travel agencies here in Taiwan, less than 10% of them offer group tours to China.
In related tourism news, General Chamber of Commerce chair Lai Zheng-ai has suggested that the government take concrete measures to boost Taiwan's travel industry. Lai, who is also Shining Building Group's chair, says the Tsai Administration set the goal of attracting 12 million tourists to Taiwan this year and offered various incentives to foreign visitors, but they have not been effective so far.
He says the Tourism Administration should open for cross-strait tour groups in June, import migrant workers to address the labour shortage, expand international marketing, and expedite the completion of Taoyuan Airport's terminal 3, among others.
He says last year was the first year of tourism recovery after the pandemic, and according to the UN World Tourism Organization data, global international arrivals reached 1.3 billion, which is 90% of the pre-pandemic level. However, Taiwan only saw 6.5 million inbound travellers in 2023, with nearly 12 million outbound tourists, showing a recovery of just 50-60%.
Lai is also calling on hotels and travel agencies to enhance and improve their facilities and services.
