Taiwan – China tourism: Taiwan’s tourism sighs relief

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

The Taiwanese student movement made no significant impact on mainland China tourists, but it has affected delegations, said Hsu Kao-ching, secretary-general of the Travel Agent Association of Taiwan.

The Taiwanese student movement made no significant impact on mainland China tourists, but it has affected delegations, said Hsu Kao-ching, secretary-general of the Travel Agent Association of Taiwan. According to its members, mainland delegations which scheduled their visits during the past 3 weeks have suspended their tours to Taiwan, but should resume them now that the commotion has wrapped up, he said.

The peaceful conclusion of Taiwan’s Sunflower Student Movement was recieved with welcome relief from the nation’s tourism industry. Over more than three weeks of protest, nearly 100 mainland delegations cancelled their tours to Taiwan, according to Chinese-language newspaper Want Daily.

These nearly 100 mainland delegations are considered “quality groups” with higher consumption power than ordinary mainland tourist groups. Travel agencies hope they can soon resume their visiting schedules.

As most of the mainland delegations are politicians and businesspeople, they are more up-to-date on Taiwan affairs and therefore tend to adjust their visiting schedules. For example, one Fujianese delegation originally planned to visit but cancelled their flight just after the student movement exploded.

The student occupation of the Legislative Yuan โ€” in protest of the barely deliberated passage of a cross-strait service trade pact โ€” drew tourists’ attention away from sightseeing hotspots nearby. They instead busied themselves taking pictures of the rallies and students camping there.

The square before the presidential office, which was quartered off during the student movement, reopened for tourists again on April 10. A mainland tourist group from Heilongjiang province was the first to set foot on the grounds again.

“You are lucky to be here,” said one tourist guide at the square. “This place has been closed for some time. It’s good to see the end of the student movement. Don’t let it affect Taiwan’s tourism industry.”

Legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng went to the legislative chamber on April 6 to meet the students opposing the service trade agreement, agreeing to stall completion of the agreement until a draft bill governing the supervision of cross-strait agreement is made. Students joining the Sunflower movement recognized Wang’s remarks and swiftly announced the timetable to end the move occupying the legislative chamber.

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Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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