[quote=“JAS”][quote=“Muzha Man”]
Wealthy Japanese already make up half the market for the Lalu (NT16000) at Sun Moon Lake. They already fly in and take limos down. They’ll probably soon take the HSR, then a limo. [/quote]
Will they come back though and are they suitably impressed with the attractions? My wealthy Japanese friend/former school mate/ski and drinking buddy/owner of numerous resorts and tourism enterprises in Japan and Canada certainly wasn’t. He thought the rooms at some hotels were not as clean as they could be and many of the rural attractions were still crowded with busloads of people. In Japan, despite the high population density of the Tokyo-Yokohama area, when you go to many rural attractions (even famous ones such as Mt. Fuji and the Hakone spas), you still have lots and lots of breathing room. In Taiwan you virtually have to be on the top of Alishan before you can get some peace and quiet. You are always surrounded by dog shit, shoe box apartments with metal bars, and noise. This is true in Taipei and in the smallest rinky-dinky towns in Taiwan. The HSR will certainly improve access to these places, but are they that special to begin with? As a seasoned traveller (70 plus countries and half of my 30 years abroad), I would say no.
Well, I stayed in a presidential suite at a well-known resort on the east coast during CNY that had a much higher room rate than the one you mentioned for Sun Moon Lake. Guess what? The air conditioning and room environmental controls didn’t work properly and the remote controls for these were unresponsive.[/quote]
Right. 
And what compensation did you ask for?
If you are taking about the 5-star in Taroko then it doesn’t surprise me (though I don’t believe it was as bad as you say) as that is an old hotel and 5-star only in name. And actually the east coast is one of the few areas not doing well with building good quality hotels and facilities. The hotel they are building at Shanyuan Beach looks like a technical junior high from the 70s.
In any case, as has been said repeatedly, Alishan and Sun Moon Lake are not the best Taiwan has to offer but its what the Mainland tourists (who will form the majority in the future) want to see. And increased tourism will raise standards everywhere. Is Taiwan ready for affluent western travellers? No, and the tourism reports state this clearly every year. Affluent western tourists are a long-range goal. What they are after now are Mainland and other Asian tourists, and young westerners. The thinking with young westerners is that they will enjoy the mountains, beaches, culture (in particular aboriginal culture) and later, when they are all grown up and making good incomes (15-20 years from now) they will remember Taiwan and want to come back. And by then, the infrastructure and quality will be ready for them.
This is not speculation btw. This is from the mouths and written words of the tourism bureau.
Actually, what I said about affluent westerners is not entirely accurate. North American and European birders are already spending lots to come to Taiwan for one or two week to bird watch. The island is starting to develop an international reputation for that. Hot springs will come next. Then river tracing and mountain climbing for adventure tourists especially now that you no longer need guides for the high mountains and good quality maps are available (and the trails themselves are well marked in English).
Yes, work needs to be done to keep the place cleaner, but that is progressing. This is an incredibly scenic island with a great temple heritage, a living folk religious culture, a dynamic modern society, great food, lots of quirky sites, excellent museums, etc.
Tourism is not a zero-sum game and people are always intrigued by the new if it is packaged right.
) ranks 30th