Recently, Yang Rui-zong, director of the Beijing Office of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, revealed to reporters that Taiwan places great emphasis on the quality and safety of tourism for mainland visitors, and the Tourism Bureau has recently introduced relevant measures to improve the quality of mainland tourists’ visits to Taiwan.
Daily itinerary must not exceed 12 hours
In response to the future growth trend in cross-strait tourist numbers, under the latest measures, the daily quota for individual mainland tourists traveling to Taiwan has been raised from 1,000 to 2,000 people; for group tours, the upper limit has been increased from 4,000 to 5,000 people per day. However, the daily issuance limit of entry permits will be strictly controlled, and high-quality tour groups will enjoy priority and preferential treatment in permit issuance.
The so-called standards for high-quality tour groups involve regulations set by the Tourism Bureau regarding itineraries, transportation, accommodation, dining, and shopping. Future review criteria include limits such as no more than 12 hours of travel per day for tour groups, tour buses covering no more than 250 kilometers per day, and the requirement for bus rental contracts equipped with GPS driving recorders. The combined cost of lunch and dinner must be at least 500 New Taiwan Dollars, one-third of the total nights must be spent in star-rated hotels, and there must be no arranged visits to specific shopping stores, or the total number of shopping stops must not exceed the total number of nights. High-value shopping stops can only be arranged at one location, but if the itinerary includes a round-the-island trip, one additional shopping stop may be added in Hualien and Taitung.
Director Yang Rui-zong also urges mainland tourists to sign up for tours through qualified travel agencies before preparing to visit Taiwan. He also reminds them of the hard truth that “you get what you pay for.” If the cost of a Taiwan tour is significantly lower than the market average, it could be a trap set by a shopping tour.
New measures help standardize Taiwan’s tourism products
Zhang Chao, manager of the Taiwan sales department at China ShenZhou International Travel Service, stated that most travel agencies offer Taiwan tour products that focus on quality, though at slightly higher prices; there are also some agencies that offer low-cost tours. These low-cost tours often result in poor food and lodging, long shopping times, and numerous shopping stops, leading to tourist complaints and harming the reputation of Taiwan tours. “The Tourism Bureau is leading the way from an official level to guide the market, which helps standardize Taiwan tour products in the market.”
Yang Yang, general manager of Beijing Spring and Autumn International Travel Service, pointed out that since the opening of Taiwan tours in the Beijing market in 2008, prices have dropped from 8,000 yuan to 4,000 yuan. Apart from normal price reductions, there have also been non-mandatory factors causing cost cuts, such as adding more shopping stops and lowering service standards. “The new measures from the Tourism Bureau provide positive guidance for the market. We hope to offer more mid- to high-end Taiwan tour products, especially high-end and trustworthy ones. Our recently launched 6-day and 8-day trustworthy tour products basically follow the regulations set by the Tourism Bureau.”