Taiwan sees fewer tourists as Chinese stay away

Visitor numbers to Taiwan fell in the first quarter, dragged down by a 42 per cent plunge in arrivals from China as relations worsen across the strait.

The number of Chinese tourists to the island has dropped since Beijing-sceptic President Tsai Ing-wen took office last May, with speculation that China is turning off the taps as a pressure tactic.

Beijing – which sees self-ruled Taiwan as still part of its territory – is wary of Tsai’s party, which traditionally advocates independence from China.

The January-March quarter saw the total number of visitors fall 10 per cent to 2.54 million from last year, according to data from the Tourism Bureau.

Increases from other areas including Southeast Asia were not enough to offset the steep fall in Chinese visitors, which plummeted to 659,575 in the quarter from 1.14 million.

Tourism operators attribute the decline to a more negative portrayal of Taiwan in Chinese media and scaled back promotion of tours by major Chinese travel agencies.

“The tension in cross-strait relations definitely affects their desire to visit and spend in Taiwan,” said Ringo Lee, a spokesman for the Travel Agent Association of Taiwan.