Government plans to double number of tourists

Travel Taiwan Travel
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Oh I agree, the Naruwan slogan is a complete misfit. It has no historical or cultural currency here at all. But you know, aloha was not the first choice for the Hawaiins either. I believe they toyed with “How’s it going, eh?” but the Canadian slapped a patent before the plans got off the drawing board.

I think it was also a mistake to have chosen 2004 as Visit Taiwan Year. The infrastructure is just not quite there yet, and too much work is being done everywhere you go. Almost all the really famous temples are covered with facades as reconstruction work is carried out. No one wants to come here to appreciate the potential. “Wow, this is gonna be fantastic next year!”

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The plan to declare 2004 Taiwan Visit Year is intended to boost the number of arrivals in order to attract investment in tourist based industries. The real goal of the project is to position the island as a complement to the 2008 olympics in Beijing. Aside from marketing, the government has reached out to the international community to redesign many of Taiwan’s most popular, yet dysfunctional, destinations. New York firm Reiser+Umeoto have been awarded the design contract for Alishan, Norihiko Dan will transform the landscape in Sun Moon Lake, and Vincente Guallart will develop the North Coast. Also, in case you haven’t heard, West 8 of Amsterdam were awarded the design contract for the 9/21 Memorial. Taiwan is undergoing an architectural revolution. It has become obvious that the drab poorly designed and constructed mistakes of the past must not be repeated. This could very well be CSB’s legacy. :slight_smile:

BTW: The winning design for CKS Terminal One will be announced on March 6. All of the renderings for the projects I mentioned above can be viewed here.

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Mucha Man,
You may have been here too long (either that or you’ve never been to New Zealand :laughing: ). Taiwan is not that photogenic: maybe I was spoiled in N.Z. and elsewhere but I have to say that Taiwan is one of the few countries where I feel little impulse to whip out me equipment (photographic, that is).

   There are parts of Taiwan that are incredibly beautiful but more often than not it is a hideously ugly urban environment or nature despoiled (like a burn-victim model, a terrible tragedy). Taiwan is a combination of a(ravished) stunning subtropical island paradise and crowded polluted hellhole. It's a fascinating place and deserves more coverage. I'm doing my part. Mucha Man, I hope you are working on a travel guide or summit (I would guess so from your posts over the last 6 months).

 The many folk religion activities, especially the festivals such as the Dajia Matsu Pilgramage, are colourful and great photographic opportunities. The high mountains and East Coast vistas are also excellent subjects. 

  Still, the reality is that when I look out from my 11th floor balcony in Chiayi I'd as soon cry as smile. Ugly beyond words. So few days that I can see the beautiful mountains of the Central Ranges.

   Last week I went for a drive from so-called rural Chiayi to Beigang and along the coast of Yunlin and Chiayi counties; what a shithole!! The architecture is aged shanty town with easy access to subsidized concrete. The farmland is a wasteland of factories, fish farms, and dump sites. The coastline is all but invisible, and when you can get to the shore it is some stagnant pool sheltered from the sea by concrete breakwaters. 

   The day I stop seeing the ugliness here is the day I will be packing my bags. And the day I stop hoping that the beauty can be restored is the day that I drink more.

Cheers!

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Almas John wrote:

That’s just cause you can’t wake up early enough to get the good light. At least that’s what I read somewhere. :laughing:

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[quote]Almas John wrote:

Quote:
Taiwan is not that photogenic

That’s just cause you can’t wake up early enough to get the good light. At least that’s what I read somewhere.
[/quote]

Mucha Man, You Aussie underarm-bowling bastard! :wink:

If it’s only beautiful in the morning, then it’s not beauty, it is a perversion. N’all that.

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Just did a quick google and[quote=“yet another quality Taiwanese media outlet”]Keynote speaker, Minister Sheng-Fong Lin, speaks of

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I don’t see how the government will every be able to boost domestic tourism with the outrageous prices. Over Chinese New Year it was more expensive to go on a package tour of Taitung than to go to Bali.

It appears for a country to be a successful tourist locale, it has to either:

a) be so inexpensive that massive luxury hotels are easy to build affordable for a lot of people (ie: Thailand, Bali, some countries in Africa, S. America).

b) have incredible, diverse, cultural/natural attractions which make it worth the expensive prices (ie: many European countries, Japan, North America??)

Taiwan is expensive, and the attractions have not been rooted out, or marketed well.

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I think its all moot points raised… Taiwan does have elements that could attract international tourists it just doesnt have the necessary infrastructure to support them. Can you imagine double the tourist number high tailing it up to Taroko, into Kending driving the scenic east coast? Its already madness.

I personally hope these ads fail and the toursits stay away.

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AWOL, I think your missing the points raised which are that the infrastructure is being put in place, things are being cleaned up, and new areas developed so not everyone has to go to the same place. How many of you have ever heard of Dapeng Bay? It’s the largest lagoon in Taiwan (about the size of Sun Moon Lake) and is about to open in June. The area used to be an army base and a sight for oyster farming but in recent years was cleaned up to develop into a new water resort. The land is almost all owned by the government which means overdevelopment will hopefully be avoided. This area is going to be hugely popular. At last, a massive body of water you can actually swim in! :shock: And because its a lagoon the water is calm and windsurfing, kayaking and other water sports will be a hit.

Chung wrote about international companies getting to contract to redesign major sight across the island. This is wonderful news. I mean, just look at what the Taiwanese themselves did to Sun Moon lake after 921. The place is a million times better than before. And don’t tell me Sun Moon Lake doesn’t have the potential to be a big hit with foreign tourists. Hell it already is. The Lalu Resort charges NT12,000 a night (minimum) and is full every weekend, and not just with Taiwanese.

In any case, whether this island ever gets to be an internationally recognized tourist destination, I don’t really care. As long as places continue to open and improve for domestic travellers, I will be happy.

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Big Almas John wrote:

When I first read that I thought it said, “If it’s not beautiful in the morning, then it’s not beauty.” I thought, why is John talking about the bar fly he woke up next to the other day? :laughing:

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Ok, sorry Mucha Man, I am out of the loop (havent been in Taiwan for ages)… but all this infrastructure saddens me. Just coz it is put in wont mean it will be worlds best prac, nor will it stop people throwing their BBQ rubbish into the bay, ciggo butts etc etc.

The general population here needs to be educated about the beauty of Taiwan and how to respect it.

Personally, I like the fact you need to be adventurous in Taiwan, to seek out the places of seclusion and beauty and not have it flagged at you on some glossy map.

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But it wouldn’t amount to doubling the number of tourists, just adding a tiny percentage more by doubling the currently minute number of foreigners among them.

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Although there’s a lot of talk about the potential benefits of opening Taiwan up to mass tourism by the rapidly expanding ranks of nouveau riche and bourgeoisie from across the Taiwan Strait, that is absolutely the last thing we need! Just imagine the horrible impact of countless busloads of package-tour mainlanders swarming to Taiwan’s best scenic spots!

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Omni - you have kind of contradicted yourself in your 2 posts.

My main fear is that these international tourists wont be 1,000 more Aussies, NZers, Canadians etc, but rather 500,000 mainland Chinese, with the same general disregard for respecting nature, thereby causing a mass influx and added strain on this tiny island.

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But that was during the Chinese New Year, which is exceptional and certainly not a suitable time to be travelling anywhere in Asia where there’s a large Chinese population. I’ve had horrible experiences in places like Malaysia during the CNY, when hotel prices soar to many times their normal level, and hotel rooms and transport are harder to come by than sex with luscious cable TV news anchors.

Actually, Taiwan’s prices have been getting more and more reasonable over the last decade or so. If you avoid peak times (weekends and holidays), you can find some remarkably inexpensive deals on travel and accommodation, including highly affordable stays in excellent 5-star hotels.

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[quote=“AWOL”]Omni - you have kind of contradicted yourself in your 2 posts.

My main fear is that these international tourists wont be 1,000 more Aussies, NZers, Canadians etc, but rather 500,000 mainland Chinese, with the same general disregard for respecting nature, thereby causing a mass influx and added strain on this tiny island.[/quote]

No, I haven’t. The point is that the target of the campaign is well-heeled tourists from the West, Japan, and other advanced industrial countries. I agree with that, and don’t expect it to make a substantial difference to the total number of tourists flowing around Taiwan, which will still be predominantly locals. Mainland Chinese are expressly excluded, as they’re still not allowed to come to Taiwan for tourist visits.

What I’m saying about cross-strait tourism is that the government must be sure to resist the idea being proposed by many that opening the floodgates to mainlanders would be an easier and more profitable option, because, in my opinion, the consequences of doing so would be awful. It would be far better to have ten high-spending Westerners or Japanese coming here than a hundred low-spending mainlanders, don’t you think? Catering to the former would raise the quality of facilities and services for all of us to enjoy; catering to the latter would lower them to even more abysmal levels than they are now at their worst.

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The two biggest problems with the Taiwan Tourism Bureau is its own incompetence and the fact that there is, comparatively, nothing worth coming to Taiwan to see.

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Not even the lovely lameis, Wolfie? They alone are worth the price of the airfare, don’t you think?

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Where is Dapeng Bay.
It sounds like an interesting place to bring the family. :sunglasses:

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I’m with Omni, I hope they opt for quality tourists rather than quantity. On the other hand, so many of the sights around taiwan are really only accessible by car that they will remain local (or expat) friendly only. I also hope that these places continue to develop in a responsible way.

Mainland Chinese tourists would only go to a few places and travel by bus and stay in groups. Is this so bad? I was at Wenwu Temple at Sun Moon lake watching the sun set when a tour bus pulled up and a hundred people got out, watch the sun set for 5 minutes and then left me alone again. Didn’t bother me that much.

Besides crowds are everywhere. Don’t tell me you can go to any of the famous sights in Europe in summer and not be overwhelmed.

I guess what we all seem to agree on is that the government should spend billions to make this island a paradise for those select few foreigners (us) who like to live here. :sunglasses:

AWOL, no problem. The point I’m making is that things are changing fast here and if you haven’t been out in a while, you’re going to be for the most part pleasantly surprised. I rarely see trash on trails anymore, especially in new areas. People here are learning. It’s no different that 50 years ago in North America were they had open garbage pits in National Parks (in part to attract bears so people could tak pictures).

XM3, Dapeng Bay is just south of Donggang in Pingdong County. As I said, it will open around June of this year. I’ve got me swimming trunks ready.

Almas John, next time head east of Chiayi, not west. :slight_smile: By the way, have they finished work on the Matzu Temple in Beigang? Acearle and me looking for a clear temple shot.

By the way, I haven’t been to NZ (though I saw LOTR) :slight_smile: , but I am from British Columbia, and have lived in the Yukon, Alaska, Banff, California, and travelled through many a scenic land. I’m also a fan of Tang and Sui Dynasty landscapes so I DO know what good scenery looks like. :bulb: :?: :!: :blush: (Oh where’s that laughing icon gone. Damn eyes!)