Why is Taiwan not popular among Australian and Indian tourists?

Travel Taiwan Travel
21

Taiwan is not expensive, and in fact is now very good value for the money. Overall you’ll spend the same in China for a far rougher experience. Same with Malaysia (go budget in Malaysia and you have to contend with bed bugs). Singapore, HK, Japan and Korea are all more expensive.

It’s also not true Taiwan has nothing to compare with others in the region. Of course there is the Palace Museum with its world class collection. There is Taiwan’s folk religious culture, able to hold its own with the best in the region. It’s temples (which trace their heritage back to the Song Dynasty in China) are filled with unique forms of folk art from wood carving to jiannian. There is a fascinating Buddhist culture engaged in public works. Taiwan has a fantastic array of hot springs. It’s one of the most complex geologies in the world and a number of places to see the results of this: from marble Taroko Gorge, to the Qingshui Cliffs, to the bizarre scultped shapes at Yehliu.

It has a unique aboriginal culture and easy ways to explore that with homestays and other activities. Unique flora and fauna including the second largest overwintering of butterflies in the world. Things like flying squirrels are really easy to see as are fireflies, gorgeous blue magpies, and a host of other pretty birds (yeah, no hornbills like in Malaysia but again, travel is not a zero-sum game). There are well-developed hiking trails, river tracing is first rate, and Penghu has Asia’s best windsurfing. There’s outrageously good fruit, and a host of first rate performers: from Cloud Gate dance company to the zen inspired U-Theatre drummers, to Taiwanese opera. Kaohsiung now holds yearly international lion dance competitions as well as competitions for temple performance troupes. Hard to beat the boat burning, Matsu pilgrimage or even Qingshan Temple night patrol for great cultural festivals.

For shopping Taiwan has come into its own in recent years: high quality teas and tea sets, ceramics, jade, glassworks, local snacks galore (just go to the train station first floor and see), whiskeys, essential oils and soaps, wood products, aboriginal crafts, etc etc.

So hans, the question is not why don’t people come here, but why don’t people know what Taiwan has to offer?

22

Basically, the government should just hire Mucha Man, if it had any sense.

About beef noodles. :laughing: I’m an Australian and when I arrived here I was completely underwhelmed by Taiwanese food in general. The night markets are crowded and unsanitary and I can’t imagine why anyone would want to eat in such an environment. And yes, Taiwanese talk about ‘delicious’ beef noodles but the first time I tried this dish I thought, “Are you kidding me? Three chunks of what, chuck steak? You are recommending me this?” Later I realized that only a small percentage of beef in Taiwan is produced domestically and that the beef I had been eating was, most likely, low quality Bos indicus, or Brahmin, from northern Australia - we export practically all of the beef from this breed and, domestically, consume higher quality breeds like Hereford and Angus. So I can’t imagine many Australians (or Kiwis, or Americans for that matter) being terribly impressed by ‘Taiwanese’ beef noodles.

I’ve lived here for a few years now and I would say to my family and friends back in Australia that food is definitely NOT a reason to come here. Taiwan has an interesting history, culture and fabulous mountains, especially if you like hiking or (like me) cycling. The Tourism Bureau doesn’t seem to have any understanding of western tourists, especially independent ones.

23

Taiwan has Taipei 101 (yawn), the National Palace Museum of looted antiquities, Taroko, and maybe cycling if that’s your thing (for which Taiwan IS absolutely world-class). But, no beaches, no good food (I’m comparing here to the other wonders of Asia, like Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and even Japan), average shopping (unless you like tea), and miles upon miles of blighted concrete, dysfunctional traffic, grey grimy cities, filthy canals and sewers masquerading as rivers, rampant pollution, continual noise, and a weird insularity, as well as an unhelpful transport infrastructure (HSR excepted). Sure, maybe one Aussie in 1000 is interested in chinese temples, but the other 99.9% go to Bali for the beaches and the beer and the mushrooms, or to Thailand and Vietnam and Borneo for the beaches, the food, the jungles, the elephant rides, the sex life, and so on. Don’t kid yourself, Taiwan: you’re simply not that great.

24

I happen to think there are many great places in Taiwan, for instance today we went for a walk around a tea farm in Nantou and there was nobody there, as they were all eating pineapple cakes in a new tourist spot 3 kms down the road. All the local farmers were there selling their fruit and snacks and Chinese herbs, tasty indeed!
The trick is to not to go to the main tourist traps unless hungry :slight_smile:. We took pictures under what must be a 700 year old Camphor tree with what must be a 200 yr old tudi gong temple beside it and again there was absolutely nobody around. We also got to ‘play’ with old F5s and an original C119 Hercules at an airforce park. All of these activities were completely free. There was nothing spectacular but each would have been interesting and enjoyable to almost any visitor, especially as the plants were all luxuriant and the weather was great down South as per usual for this time of year.

This a question that comes up time and time again. Taiwan and Taiwanese should market cycling and motorbiking, Chinese culture, Buddhism and Taoism, hiking, windsurfing, birding, tea farm stays and yes even surfing events. Of course getting more Westerners to visit for other reasons like learning Chinese or work would help with regards tourism too.

Taiwan is doing pretty well with the overseas Chinese crowd and Japanese and Koreans, I don’t see much effort to go after the niche stuff so much and English language skills and English signage is pretty poor , although it’s not a huge factor, just like others have said there is any single world famous thing to make it a ‘must’ place for average Tourist. That’s fine though as mass market tourism brings its own problems like we are experiencing with the increase of Chinese tourists now.

Ao to reiterate I know many magical places in Taiwan bit I ain’t telling :slight_smile:. Urodocus is right that there are a lot of crappy over developed and polluted spots but If one has the RIGHT guide or adventurous spirit you can get a lot out of a trip.

I heard a report today which said Alishan had two million tourists last year, 70% were Chinese tourists, I’m not sure that is something to be proud about.

25

[quote=“antarcticbeech”]Basically, the government should just hire Muzha Man, if it had any sense.

About beef noodles. :laughing: I’m an Australian and when I arrived here I was completely underwhelmed by Taiwanese food in general. The night markets are crowded and unsanitary and I can’t imagine why anyone would want to eat in such an environment. And yes, Taiwanese talk about ‘delicious’ beef noodles but the first time I tried this dish I thought, “Are you kidding me? Three chunks of what, chuck steak? You are recommending me this?” Later I realized that only a small percentage of beef in Taiwan is produced domestically and that the beef I had been eating was, most likely, low quality Bos indicus, or Brahmin, from northern Australia - we export practically all of the beef from this breed and, domestically, consume higher quality breeds like Hereford and Angus. So I can’t imagine many Australians (or Kiwis, or Americans for that matter) being terribly impressed by ‘Taiwanese’ beef noodles.

I’ve lived here for a few years now and I would say to my family and friends back in Australia that food is definitely NOT a reason to come here. Taiwan has an interesting history, culture and fabulous mountains, especially if you like hiking or (like me) cycling. The Tourism Bureau doesn’t seem to have any understanding of western tourists, especially independent ones.[/quote]

Thanks everyone and Thanks alot antarcticbeech, you guys opinions great fundament and insights for my paper.
Wonder how many Australians or western tourists here and your opinions on how what Taiwan can offer to attract your friends back home :smiley:

26

[quote=“Mucha Man”]Taiwan is not expensive, and in fact is now very good value for the money. Overall you’ll spend the same in China for a far rougher experience. Same with Malaysia (go budget in Malaysia and you have to contend with bed bugs). Singapore, HK, Japan and Korea are all more expensive.

It’s also not true Taiwan has nothing to compare with others in the region. Of course there is the Palace Museum with its world class collection. There is Taiwan’s folk religious culture, able to hold its own with the best in the region. It’s temples (which trace their heritage back to the Song Dynasty in China) are filled with unique forms of folk art from wood carving to jiannian. There is a fascinating Buddhist culture engaged in public works. Taiwan has a fantastic array of hot springs. It’s one of the most complex geologies in the world and a number of places to see the results of this: from marble Taroko Gorge, to the Qingshui Cliffs, to the bizarre scultped shapes at Yeliu.

It has a unique aboriginal culture and easy ways to explore that with homestays and other activities. Unique flora and fauna including the second largest overwintering of butterflies in the world. Things like flying squirrels are really easy to see as are fireflies, gorgeous blue magpies, and a host of other pretty birds (yeah, no hornbills like in Malaysia but again, travel is not a zero-sum game). There are well-developed hiking trails, river tracing is first rate, and Penghu has Asia’s best windsurfing. There’s outrageously good fruit, and a host of first rate performers: from Cloud Gate dance company to the zen inspired U-Theatre drummers, to Taiwanese opera. Kaohsiung now holds yearly international lion dance competitions as well as competitions for temple performance troupes. Hard to beat the boat burning, Mazu pilgrimage or even Qingshan Temple night patrol for great cultural festivals.

For shopping Taiwan has come into its own in recent years: high quality teas and tea sets, ceramics, jade, glassworks, local snacks galore (just go to the train station first floor and see), whiskeys, essential oils and soaps, wood products, aboriginal crafts, etc etc.

So hans, the question is not why don’t people come here, but why don’t people know what Taiwan has to offer?[/quote]

Hi Mucha Man, thanks alot! definitely welcome more of your opinions :smiley:

27

Just keep doing what you are doing, asking and listening and observing, don’t ever assume you know the answer first and you will have a great paper and learning experience.

I can tell you that there is not ONE type of Westerner or foreigner or American. There are people with different economic backgrounds, interests and ages, so I would advise you to think about if what you are asking makes sense? Are you asking the right question to begin with?

28

[quote=“headhonchoII”]Just keep doing what you are doing, asking and listening and observing, don’t ever assume you know the answer first and you will have a great paper and learning experience.

I can tell you that there is not ONE type of Westerner or foreigner or American. There are people with different economic backgrounds, interests and ages, so I would advise you to think about if what you are asking makes sense? Are you asking the right question to begin with?[/quote]

Thanks headhonchoII! i am still learning and listening to all opinions, thanks alot for yours and definitely welcome more :slight_smile:

29

Muzha Man is correct, as is HH2, in that there are lots of great things about Taiwan once you can get off the beaten track and go for the lesser known, niche sights… unfortunately, that only will attract 5% or so of the Asia-bound Australians. But for the average tourist, and compared to what that person could get in other countries, Taiwan just won’t get the masses of people it would from China. And that’s a damn shame. Both that Taiwan tourism must focus on the Asian market, and that masses of chinese come through and pervert the place even more. Who needs another million mouthbreathers and snot blowers anyway?

30

English speaking tourists like to be able to find destinations they see recommended in their tourist guide books. I would imagine that a significant percentage of the tiny number who visit Taiwan aren’t too pleased when they try to locate Danshui in order to try the world famous delicacies on offer there.

Probably not as disappointed as those who do manage to figure out how to get there, though. :laughing:

The bottom line is Taiwan really isn’t that great a tourist destination for English speakers. It’s difficult to get to, confusing to get around, and the results really aren’t all that spectacular should you manage to find them. The Chinese seem to be more easily pleased, which is probably why they are the new target market.

Don’t get me wrong. It isn’t a bad place to live. However, would anyone seriously recommend a friend to come here as a tourist?

31

[quote=“tomthorne”]English speaking tourists like to be able to find destinations they see recommended in their tourist guide books. I would imagine that a significant percentage of the tiny number who visit Taiwan aren’t too pleased when they try to locate Danshui in order to try the world famous delicacies on offer there.

Probably not as disappointed as those who do manage to figure out how to get there, though. :laughing:

The bottom line is Taiwan really isn’t that great a tourist destination for English speakers. It’s difficult to get to, confusing to get around, and the results really aren’t all that spectacular should you manage to find them. The Chinese seem to be more easily pleased, which is probably why they are the new target market.

Don’t get me wrong. It isn’t a bad place to live. However, would anyone seriously recommend a friend to come here as a tourist?[/quote]

I agree. Most 'Tourists" (not all) would have a family holiday with Children and I fear,certainly for USA/UK/Australia families,there are not enough activities for them.Unfortunately average teenagers soon get bored of beautiful Mountains (unless they can snowboard) beautiful coastlines (unless they can Jetski).Taiwan,unless you are used to Temples/Walks/Cycling,as Mainland Chinese are,does not have much more to offer for the larger "tourist " industry. :2cents:
My experience,with 2 teenage sons,is that Cultural activities are a hard sell on holidays.(i am ashamed to say !)

32

I can understand why Mainlanders, Japanese, and HKers come here. For mainlanders it’s the appeal of visiting the rogue province they grew up brainwashed into being obsessed about and tasting the once forbidden fruit. As for the Japanese, they have a thing for the food here mentioned in another thread. They also seem to appreciate visiting a place in Asia outside of Japan where the average person seems to hold them in high esteem, adheres to all things Japanese, and showcases the Japanese influences from the imperial days with pride and nostalgia. There’s also Linsen N. Rd :smiley: For the Hong Kong folk it’s a short flight away and an inexpensive excursion. Why others come here for a vacation I have no idea.

33

Neither have I.

Parents visiting wayward sons/daughters who have ended up teaching EFL? Other than that I could not begin to fathom why any European/American/similar would ever choose Taiwan as a holiday destination. A mix up with Thailand, perhaps?

Come to Taiwan and if you look really, really hard you might find something special. Not really much of a sales pitch :slight_smile:

34

Dont think Taiwan needs all those honky tourists. Taiwan doesnt need to be Thailand.

Let them go there. Ozzies got bali, why go further to taiwan?

They can go to spore and hk for big asian city experience.

35

Muzha Man, do you honestly think, a tourist not a Chinese artefact enthusiast, but a tourist will fly to Taiwan for the palace museum? I’ve lived in Taiwan, I know what it has to offer, but it isn’t enough to lure tourists. Secondly Taiwan is expensive to fly to. For the price of return fare you get great deals in the Sing-Ind-Malaysi-HK -BKK sector. Sad. But true. Taiwan is a good place to live in, doesn’t automatically make it a great tourist destination. Kending for example is a huge disappointment. Ofcourse I am talking from the Indian Tourist’s point of view. For the French?? Maybe taiwan is fab.

36

yeah divea has a good point, its too far to fly for most westerners, when they can get more of what they want much closer and cheaper.

Taiwan appeals to ethnic chinese in Spore and Malaysia largely due to them being chinese. So they go to China and Taiwan.

Its different enough to be fun and familiar enough to be fun. And its quite inexpensive with cheap flights and inexpensive accomodations. A fun and inexpensive holiday.

Same for the Japanese. Taiwan is fun for them as its different and yet familiar. And Japanese are well received in Taiwan. Much unlike in China , Korea.

37

Like everyone, I think you are asking the wrong question. The facts are simple: people travel and it’s one of the biggest industries in the world. You don’t need to convince people to leave their homes. What you need to do is convince them to come to yours.

Making lists of comparisons isn’t very effective. Look at Malaysia. They successfully campaigned that you could find the true asia inside their country. Not that you would find a better asia, or an asia no one else has, but a great asian experience more or less along the lines of what you want in an asian experience to be (as inchoate as that desire is). They certainly didn’t try to answer questions like “but who would come just to see the Petronas Towers, a bird park and eat roti canai?”

It worked and despite the fact KL is a pretty dull city it gets 9 million visitors a year. I have been visiting the city once a month for the past 6 months and while I love the sunshine and food it is nowhere near as interesting a city as Taipei. But it’s marketed itself wonderfully and anyone who think tourism is not 90% marketing, 10% content is fooling himself. The crap (literally) people put up with to visit Tibet is a case in point.

How could Taiwan better market itself? One, by understanding what westerners want when they come to Asia? I remember one meeting with the tourism bureau where they were amazed that I was suggesting promoting Taiwan’s tropical and subtropical elevation trails especially ones you could safely swim in waterfall pools. Foreigners love that I said. They were doubly shocked: one, that Taiwan had river pools and jungles (I kid you not) and two that westerners wouldn’t be more interested in high mountains like their own.

Taiwan has all the stuff people travel abroad for: exotic culture, great museums, original performances, knockout scenery, great and unusual food, array of local products, easy chances to interact with locals. It’s also safe, relatively clean (and honestly most travellers to Asia are willing to put up with a lot of mess), and progressive. Hey female travellers, wouldn’t you like to travel in a country where woman don’t cover themselves from head to toe, aren’t selling their bodies from the time they are 12 to old men at bars, and don’t need to form vigilante groups to protect themselves from abusive husbands?

I do not ever expect Taiwan to be a tier one destination for westerners and I doubt it would have much appeal to the average Indian tourist. But despite what people think tens of thousands of westerners already visit every year for no other reason than a visit. I’ve read hundreds of letters from such people over the years and met at least as many. They like it here. There’s no reason more wouldn’t either.

I have for years been saying that the Tourism Bureau needs to target westerners already living, studying or travelling in Asia. I don’t know anyone who has been here on a visit and lives in China who hasn’t really enjoyed the experience. There are hundreds of thousands of expats living in Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Singapore, and that could be attracted here, or a portion of the millions who visit China every year. You can fly from KL to Taipei for under US$300, and with ferries and direct flights from China it is not that expensive either.

Also, I will say it again, a big problem now is with the current government. Under Chen, tourism policy was that it would take 20-30 years for Taiwan to build itself to the point where it was really ready for general western travelers. In the meantime they would make the place more attractive to niche and younger travellers with youth programs and the like. The KMT killed the youth programs as soon as they got back in and only reluctantly revived them. But there doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the support for long term planning there was before.

In any case, I think Taiwan is doing fairly well with attracting western travellers and should continue despite the chorus of incredulity that comes from the Fcom squad every time the topic comes up.

38

I think it is a bit expensive to get to Taiwan from the West, so Taiwan should try and get on the Asian itineraries or onto cruise ship itineraries, that kind of thing.

The ramp up in Malaysian, Singapore , Korean and HK tourists only happened after the introduction of cheap flights. Regional tourism and short breaks are always going to be a lot bigger than long distance tourism with a few exceptions like Thailand thrown in.

The question was how to attract Australians and Indians and again I think the question needs to be looked at in more detail but I don’t want to do the students work for them. They have to learn to think for themselves.

39

I’ve traveled a fair bit through out Asia and lived in Thailand, Japan, and Taiwan and I can honestly say the mountains, river systems and coastal vistas of the east Coast are certainly world class tourist attractions. The Great Ocean Road in Australia pales in comparison to Taiwan’s Hua-Dong coast. There is no comparison, except if you like getting beaten up and yelled at by drunken passing motorists. Unfortunately, the weather in Taipei sucks exhaust. If I were in the tourist brewery, I would promote cycling in Taiwan by putting on Asia’s equivalent to the Tour de France. Cycling is a massive industry, and has a very large following. Most of the best bikes in the world share some relationship with Taiwan so cyclists know well of its existence. Many have traveled to its cycling product exhibitions, and know of its great potential given very good infrastructure on spectacular roads. It is a no brainer.

You won’t find Australian tourists in Taiwan because there are no Indians there to beat up. Likewise, you won’t find Indian tourists in Taiwan because there are no Australian’s there to beat them up. It’s a classic Catch 22. If Taiwan wants to attract more Australian and Indian tourists it must first lift any restrictions on taxi licenses. This will attract Indian taxi drivers; in turn, the Australians will follow. Such an action will lead to spin off industries like a booming roti industry, a rapid increase in beer sales, and a spike in medical tourism from Indian and Aussie facial reconstruction surgery. It too is a no branier, quite literally.

40

While the main focus is, logically, on Mainland China and neighboring countries like Japan, Korea, HK, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, the government spends loads of money on advertising in Western countries. You don’t spend millions of dollars placing ads on Times Square during New Year’s Eve if you don’t care about Western tourists. Now, whether this is the right and most effective way to promote tourism in Taiwan is another question.

I think Mucha Man is spot on, Taiwan is attractive for many simply because they haven’t been here before. Travelers like to go to new places and Taiwan has a lot of things to offer to many (OK maybe not the typical beach goers and families). Among the things tourists visiting Taiwan often get excited about are the friendly and helpful locals (we hear this all the time), the clean and modern environment (lots of travelers have seen worse elsewhere), the marvelous scenery (mountains and coast especially), the safety (no beggars, no pickpockets, no terrorists) and the variety (lots of things to see and do for an island this size). I don’t see tourists (from the West) coming for more after the first visit, though. The number of top-shelf attractions is really limited and don’t warrant another long flight across the ocean.

I think key to making Taiwan more attractive is convenience and information in English. I think a lot of progress has been made in recent years, especially in the big cities. New subway systems and the high-speed rail have really made a difference. The MRT line from Taoyuan airport will make things even better. English information is available here and there, but there can be done much much more.