Taiwanese culture attracts Chinese tourists: Tourism Bureau

Taipei, July 18 (CNA) Around 90 percent of the Chinese tourists who visit Taiwan are extremely satisfied with their trips and note in particular that what they like the most is the friendliness and culture of the people in Taiwan, the Tourism Bureau said Tuesday.

The findings overturn criticism made by Chinese media a few days earlier that mentioned poor-quality tours, according to the bureau.

The bureau was referring to Chinese media that it accused of quoting incorrect data and hurting the image of tourism in Taiwan.

The latest data, released by the bureau Tuesday, shows that 99.47 percent of Chinese tourists are satisfied with the quality of their bus tours in Taiwan.

From 2009 to July 16, 2012, the bureau said it received 717 testimonials from Chinese tourists who offered their thanks to the tour guides and bus drivers for their warm and welcoming service.

It found that the common thread in these letters was that the Chinese tourists were moved by what they described as the sincere and kind culture of the people in Taiwan. Even though praise was given to the country’s sights and food, the most prominent factor was the people, said the bureau.

More than 4 million Chinese tourists have visited Taiwan over the past four years, and the daily number has increased from an average of around 300 people in 2008 to 5,098 in July this year, said the bureau.

It added that the increase in numbers is very beneficial to Taiwan’s tourism industry and has generated more than NT$205.7 billion(US$6.86 billion) in revenues.

According to the bureau, the Taipei-based Taiwan Strait Tourism Association has conveyed its suggestion to the Beijing-based Cross-Strait Tourism Associationthat China’s travel agencies attach greater importance to the quality and safety of the tours offered to Chinese tourists.

The bureau added that in comparison to some other countries, the quality of tours in Taiwan is tightly controlled.

http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aALL&ID=201207180018

 

Category: Taiwan