Japanese view on the 912 tourism protest: The troubles are self-inflicted, so why blame the government?

▲ The 912 tourism industry protest demanded that the government address the income loss caused by the drop in mainland visitors. (Photo / Reporter Lee Yuk-kang)

Travel Center / Comprehensive Report

After May 20th, the sharp decline in mainland Chinese tourists severely impacted many businesses that relied heavily on them. These operators even formed the “Million Tourism Industry Self-Help Association” and organized a march of tens of thousands on the 12th to demand the government’s attention. Butto the Japanese, this move seemed utterly baffling—they even bluntly said, “Isn’t the current predicament of their own making? Why should the Taiwanese government have to clean up their mess?”

▲ Tens of thousands from the tourism industry took to the streets on 912, demanding solutions from the government. (Photo / Reporter Lee Yuk-kang)

Facebook Page“The Perverted Old Man of Japan”On the 13th, he shared his personal views on the Facebook page, expressing complete disbelief at the goals of the Million Tourism Industry Self-Help Association’s march, and found both the purpose and demands of the protest completely baffling.

He pointed out, whether it’s hoping the government will expand the domestic tourism market, promote Taiwan in China, or work to develop new customer sources—can’t tourism operators do these things themselves? Why rely on the government? Moreover, aren’t these things part of the basic operations of tourism businesses?

▲ A drop in mainland tourists has already caused some travel agencies to go bankrupt. (Photo / Reporter Lee Yuk-kang)

“Relying entirely on Chinese tourists is a very dangerous way to run a business.” “The Perverted Old Man of Japan” noted that the current predicament is of their own making,always depending on China, depending on the government, and then blaming the Taiwanese government when problems arise—that’s a much bigger issue.

He also believes that back in January, news media had already pointed out the potential impact on Chinese tourists following Tsai Ing-wen’s election as president. With eight months having passed from January to now, what exactly have these tourism industry participants been doing? A decline in Chinese tourists was something that could have been predicted long ago—even he, as a Japanese person, saw it coming. He also expressed doubt to these protesting tourism operators: “Didn’t you come up with any countermeasures or ways to get out of this predicament in these eight months?”

In the end, he also believes that those who joined this protest are the ones who need to stand up on their own,“Those who always blame the Taiwanese government—if they change jobs or continue in their current roles, they definitely won’t do well.”

% Full text of the Perverted Old Man of Japan’s commentary on the 912 tourism industry march. Republished with permission from “The Perverted Old Man of Japan.”