Taiwanese travelers act like VIPs in hostels, while operators sigh: Mainland tourists are more well-mannered

Staying in youth hostels can save a lot on travel expenses, but some Taiwanese treat hostels like five-star hotels—spending little yet expecting VIP treatment, complaining about everything, and engaging in all sorts of difficult customer behavior. This has led accommodation operators to slam them online, asking, “Can Taiwanese people please stop embarrassing themselves?” and lamenting that mainland tourists are actually more well-mannered.

Accommodation operators slam them online, asking, “Can Taiwanese people please stop embarrassing themselves?” and lamenting that mainland tourists are actually more well-mannered. (Photo / ComplainAboutDifficultCustomers)

A netizen posted on the Facebook page “ComplainAboutDifficultCustomers,” stating that they work at a hostel front desk and have encountered numerous instances of bad behavior from Taiwanese guests. These include expecting five-star treatment in dormitory rooms, or making reservations and then no-showing without even canceling, not answering phone calls, leaving front desk staff waiting through the night shift. The original poster sighed, “You brought luggage for your trip, so why did you forget to bring your brain?”

The post sparked discussion, with many netizens agreeing, saying, “Honestly, a lot of us Taiwanese are just like this, whereas Chinese tourists pay up front and have an extremely low no-show rate,” “Domestic tourists want good service but refuse to spend money, only looking to take small advantages!” Others pointed out, “The quality of mainland backpackers is truly much higher than you can imagine.”