The new trend Mass Tourism is on in Taiwan
taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/ … 2003437048
Coming from a country that depends greatly on tourism while practically investing nothing in infraestructure or publiciity other than word of mouth, I am surprised that Taiwan fumbles so much in this field.
I mean, there are great things here where people would pour their wallets willinglly and be happy about the experinece. Alas, most tours and other amenities leave most travelers, especially but not exclusively Western ones, really dissapointed.
A serious PR strategy is vital. How many of those "thousands’ will be back? Has anyone been to the facilities in Keelung? Does anyone know how those tours work -really awful? If those thousands don’t get a good impression…
Icon, why do you never tell us your country? The more you talk about “my country” the more mysterious and exciting it sounds.
Keelung doesnt give the best first impression of Taiwan at all. 
Maybe those cruise ships should start by docking in Hualien only. Those peeps can take a special train to Taipei or something?
It’s part of my marketing strategy. 
And anyway, for tourism, you’d better take a tour starting in Mexico and going down all the way to Colombia. Then hop to Peru and the rest. Now that’ll be a trip.
Wonder how many bars of Amway soap did the government have to purchase so Taiwan could have the honor of Amway here?
Spending their money while here, they probably just try to sell people stuff
I did see the diembarkment of a cruise ship with loads of foreigners one time in Keelung
The shock on their faces… are we in N Korea or on a tropical island?
Been to the tourist trap of Puerto Vallarta…
It did have a developing world feel to it, but the locals and authorities know what the punters want, so invested in the facilities, hotels, services etc
Tourism and hospitality is a foreign concept here. They can’t get their heads around it. Why would people stay in luxury facilities, spend money on doing things, care about the state of the place, when they could go to the “very you-ming” place for tofu, tea, sticky rice slop etc
Taiwan has the worst amrketing strategy. When they want to convince Germans to´come to Taiwan, they advertice with their supermarkets (Taiwan as a shopping paradise), expensive western hotels, restaurants and leisure parks. Nobody will fly from Europe for that.
The next: Taiwans tourist officials are normal high level officials. Regarding to their high income and personally deinterests, they make advitising for their own pear group, build new hotels at the best spots … Have a look at the Sun-Moon-Lake. Enforcing their aforementioned believings, they had build so many hotels that this place became annoying.
Europeans are fans of sunburning and beaches - Taiwan lacks it.
But I like it - Taiwan without mass toursim will be fine.
I must admit that the tour operators I have met here catering to incoming tourist business are very professional, and on the ball.
Taiwan will only be a mass tourism destination for Japanese, however the opportunities for specialized tourism are rather big, if you target a segment interested in what Taiwan has to offer.
Taiwan is unknown for many people in States. I remember the first time I heard about Taiwan, I was like: Does this place exist? Are they talking about Thailand? Then one of my friends told me that Taiwan was a little place in China. There, this is what I knew about Taiwan, back in Oregon during the 90’s. And a lot of people there also don’t know about Myanmar, Marshall Islands, some Pacific tiny country (Palau?). They heard about Tibet though.
Here in Taiwan people think that every country know about them and are concerned about the politics here, their “official” name that has been discussed so many times by the legislators, but in truth, if you go abroad, you discover that Taiwan is pretty unknown. Many peopler scratch the head trying to know where is this place.
It’s part of my marketing strategy.
[/quote]
So in theory, I go down to the airport and say “here’s my passport. I want to go to Icon’s country” and they’ll know where I mean.
I then get clubbed over the back of the head by a mysterious assailant and a few hours later wake up in a South American country where everybody is under strict orders NOT to tell me where I am.
The whole place takes US dollars so thats no problem, They speak Spanish and some English, but I come back 2 weeks later having had a cracking time, but no stamps in my passport telling me where I have been. However, there are a number of bruises on the back of my head from where the airport thugs have knocked me out.
Its a great strategy!
Here’s a tip, Funk. It begins with a letter of the alphabet. One of the funny ones.
Lol, I’m curious about this game as well now. Your hint got me one step closer because I know R-S-T-L-N-E aren’t funny at all so I’m gonna cross them off the list.
I think she’s from the Dutch Antilles, that’d make sense, as it’s such a tiny place so no-one would pay attention to it, but they survive on tourism from the Netherlands…
Am I right? 
And with regards to tourism here, well… until you can get around the island is an easy enough manner and until hotel staff speaks English to a decent enough level (or German or French for that matter), and the flights here are as cheap as the one to Thailand, no Europeans are really going to bother to come here on holiday. Oh, and they need to clean up the damn beaches, like yesteryear…
good news for Taiwan hotels.
It’s part of my marketing strategy.
[/quote]
So in theory, I go down to the airport and say “here’s my passport. I want to go to Icon’s country” and they’ll know where I mean.
I then get clubbed over the back of the head by a mysterious assailant and a few hours later wake up in a South American country where everybody is under strict orders NOT to tell me where I am.
The whole place takes US dollars so thats no problem, They speak Spanish and some English, but I come back 2 weeks later having had a cracking time, but no stamps in my passport telling me where I have been. However, there are a number of bruises on the back of my head from where the airport thugs have knocked me out.
Its a great strategy![/quote]
:roflmao: Yes, sir, the idea is that you will have a heck of a time, and no idea why you’re so happy.
More tips:
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It’s Central America. No, it is not Iowa.
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English and Spanish widely spoken. Recently, they started teaching Mandarin as second language. Many Italian and German settlements, too.
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Chinese population getting bigger, widely mixed with locals. Around 20 thousand Taiwanese, they love it there. We even have hot pot, but no, I do not reccomend the Chinese food there.
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You do not even need to go there to have the stamps.
Some immigration officials had a very nice scam putting stamps on passports of people abroad. Can you guess why?
- Many celebrities seen there, live there, marry there… (last one a big tip).
ps.
I’m a SHE!
Back on topic. Now they are painting a rosy picture, hope it keeps up (but Amway employees are not happy to buy Made in China trinkets in Taiwan, nor it helps when they deface local beaches and become heroes back home).
Chinese tourist daily arrivals topping 2,300: Tourism bureau
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/2009/03/20/200866/Chinese-tourist.htm
Chinese tourists to hit record
TAIPEI, Taiwan – The number of inbound tourists from China is expected to hit a record weekly high of over 17,000 this week, with the travel-to-Taiwan boom significantly fueled by recent remarks made by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/2009/03/23/201204/Chinese-tourists.htm
Love the political slant:
[quote]Tainan was once the capital of Taiwan and some consider the city our “cultural capital,” owing to its several century-old temples, forts and other attractions. Kaohsiung and its surrounding areas are also rich with history. But south Taiwan was not included on the Amway itinerary. Was the reason because the south of Taiwan is considered “unsafe” for mainlanders?
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Lawmaker Kuo Wen-chang last week told the press he was “outraged” by the behavior of some from the Amway tour group. Kuo suggested the tour go down to Kaohsiung so that locals could “teach them some manners.” This comment by Kuo is equivalent to the threat of violence and certainly not the way to welcome guests — regardless of where they from.
It could be quite some time before the image of Tainan City as an unfriendly place for mainlanders is erased. The last time an official group toured Tainan, the dean of Xiamen University’s Journalism School Zhang Mingqing was assaulted by a mob of Taiwan-independence supporters. Zhang wasn’t a random tourist. Instead, he had been invited by the Taiwan National University of the Arts.
Some mainlanders are undoubtedly asking whether they would be safe in southern Taiwan, considering the fact that a scholar with an official invitation was jumped by a pack of ruffians. Could a Chinese visitor be attacked in the south of Taiwan simply for speaking with a mainland accent? Unfortunately it’s a real possibility.
[/quote]
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/editorial/2009/03/27/201815/Are-mainland.htm
Many people in the States don’t know where anything is outside of their borders, so that’s hardly surprising! That’s one thing that drives me crazy about (my fellow) Americans.
That’s it. I’ve lost all hope. This just happened.
So my coworker calls a certain five star hotel -which shall remain nameless- and makes a dinner reservation on behalf of the Embassy of Panama.
Call was made in Chinese.
“Panama ta shu guan” (Panama embassy), my coworker repeats like 3 times. I turn around.
“Ta as in big, shu as in …” (whatever), he says slowly on the phone, elucidating each syllable very carefully.
“Panama… PA-NA-MA!.. What do you mean,
what is Panama?
The country!!”
My boss and I can’t help it and we crack on the background. :roflmao:
On second thought, it is a sad situation. So many years of schooling, so much studies, so much effort to land a job in an international hotel… can’t even recognize an ally. Sigh
I see what you mean bout the receptionist. 
I ran into a girl at a starbucks one time in Taipei (I was with my GF so was not trying to pick her up). And she was from Belize. Apparently thats the only English speaking country in latin america?
[quote=“tommy525”]I see what you mean bout the receptionist.
I ran into a girl at a starbucks one time in Taipei (I was with my GF so was not trying to pick her up). And she was from Belize. Apparently thats the only English speaking country in latin America?[/quote]
Nope, it is not. I’ll leave that trivia question to you as homework.