Source: Central Daily News (10/05/2013 12:42) Guang-Tao Yan/writer

Enlarged view
Chi-Yuan Wang, Chairman of Tainan Association of Travel Agents (Photo courtesy of China Review News Agency)

Tainan, October 5. Telegram from China Review News Agency- The implementation of China's tourism law strictly regulates travel agencies’ conduct when taking tourists on commissioned shopping trips. Chi-Yuan Wang, Chairman of the Tainan Association of Travel Agents, in a China Review News Agency interview on October 4, stated that he was strongly in favor of new measures in China's tourism law. He even considered it to be the elixir for saving Taiwan's distorted tourism practice. Yet, from Taiwan's prospective many people are taking a wait-and-see attitude, wondering whether the mainland authorities would carry out the law enforcement persistently.
Chi-Yuan Wang commented that China's tourism law came into effect on October 1. From the tourism industry’s viewpoint, even if Taiwan’s tourism market was able to get back to its normal practice on its own, frankly, it would not be enough. It needed the help of mainland China. China's tourism law stipulated travel agencies must not arrange forced shopping tours or recoup commissions from stores where the tourists shopped to pay for the group tour fees, etc. Well done! Excellent! As long as the government stuck to it, it would generate most favorable effects on the tourism service industry in the long run.
　
However, Chi-Yuan Wang added, mainland China had laid down a good law. The question was whether it could be implemented persistently. On the Taiwan side of the Strait, there were wait-and-see operators that would like to conspire with mainland travel agencies to find a loophole in the law and other machinations were on the prowl. In other words where there is a measure, there is a countermeasure. A shopping stop could disguise itself as a museum or service center or historical museum, or research institute, etc. and change its setting any time in order to stay in business.
When China's tourism law first kicked in, the number of tourist groups dropped off while self-guided tourists went up. Chi-Yuan Wang remarked that if there were no distinctive features in tour products, there would only be price competition left. When the group tour fees returned to normal standards and the agencies stopped using the commissions to increase the group tour fees, low quality tourism products would be driven out of the market. Every agency, regardless of size, could have the opportunity to do business with mainland China tour groups.
He approves of the implementation of China’s tourism law. If it could be enforced to the core, it would settle the matter altogether. Chi-Yuan Wang commented that the cross-strait and Southeast Asian tourist markets had been seriously distorted since the involvement of shopping stops had a hand in the tourism business. The Taiwan tourism industry and authorities could not have missed knowing about it. However, bad old practices die hard. Now that mainland China was dealing with it, the market would suffer some temporary pain. Travel agencies, stores, duty-free shops, etc. that were poorly run would all be eliminated.

Chi-Yuan Wang noted that for Taiwan to improve in this aspect would depend on whether people could form a consensus. Obviously, mainland China already dominated Asia's tourism market. Whichever country provided a robust tourism environment was where the market would go. The movement of self-guided tourists would continue to thrive while the contents of tours would be more and more dependent on regionalization and themes.

Chi-Yuan Wang deemed that China's tourism law was an elixir for Taiwan. If the Taiwan industry would like to distort it again and find a loophole under the table, it would end up with egg on its face. He remarked that the way to correct a distorted tourism market was to go back to the fundamentals. The implementation of China's new law was well done. It should have been laid down right at the time when cross-strait tourism was opened up. Enforcing it now was a bit on the late side.
　
He encouraged China to stick to the new tourism law and cast aside personal favors. So long as it was the right thing to do, we should support it. In regard to China’s tourism law, Chi-Yuan Wang believed we should publicly acknowledge mainland China's deed irrespective of politics. We need not be uneasy and averse to applauding, just because it was mainland China that implemented the new law.

Chi-Yuan Wang commented that by looking at the cross-strait tourism market development after mainland China had introduced the tourism law, travel agencies that were unprofessional or lacking in sufficient capital would gradually die out. He also came up with some suggestions for China’s National Tourism Administration. They are as follows:
1. Support the good travel industries to stay in business; let high quality travel agencies thrive. Call for settling accounts without holding off for 3 to 6 months. So far many agencies have been able to square group tour accounts immediately, some balance their accounts monthly. However, those who withhold payment for months could cause serious difficulties in administration and funding for most of Taiwan's travel agencies.
2. For itinerary planning, the cross-strait travel industry might want to work on regional itineraries. Taiwan is small, but an eight day tour to travel around Taiwan, indeed, is too hectic as there are six actual days of traveling. Coming and going, rushing around on a whistle-stop tour cannot really offer a genuine travel experience. By dividing Taiwan into three sections- north, central, as well as Hualien-Taitung and south, one can then truly experience the joy of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) and slow paced living, and thus savor Taiwan's local culture.

Regarding the public sector of tourism, Chi-Yuan Wang believed that the government ought to examine and review its objectives. In the area of developing the cross-strait travel industry, should it go on focusing superficially on the volume of visitors or buckle down and focus on quality and promote high quality tourism that would also help economic development? Secondly, as Taiwan's economy is in a slump, apart from promoting tourism to attract overseas visitors, it should come up with a policy to encourage domestic tourism to local citizens.

【CDNEWS】
Details/Full Text Cross-strait/Chi-Yuan Wang: China’s tourism law is Taiwan’s elixir-political news-Sina News

http://news.sina.com.tw/article/20131005/10792770.html