China News Service, February 18 (Xinhua) According to Taiwan media reports, the Taiwan authorities suddenly suspended the ban on group travel to the mainland, which was originally scheduled to be lifted in March, on the eve of the Spring Festival, triggering industry indignation and public opinion on the island to question and criticize. Some people in the industry bluntly said that the Taiwan authorities' previous announcement of opening up in March was simply "vote cheating" and was preparing to take to the streets to protest on the day of the inauguration of Taiwan's newly elected leader Lai Ching-te on May 20.
The Taiwanese government's "Ministry of Transportation and Tourism Administration" suddenly announced on February 7 that travel operators will stop soliciting tour groups to mainland China from now on. Although the Tourism Department stated that it complied with the provisions of the "Tourism Development Ordinance" and "Travel Industry Management Rules", the Taiwan Travel Association still expressed dissatisfaction and objected that using these two provisions as a source of legal basis is quite weak and far-fetched, and is inconsistent with the "ban on group tours" "Ling" has absolutely nothing to do with it. Industry insiders said that this is obviously a political factor that reverses the cause and effect, and the forced squeeze out of legal sources for rationalization will only make the industry more angry.
The ban on group tours to the mainland, which was originally to be lifted in March, was suddenly blocked on the eve of the Spring Festival, catching Taiwan's travel industry off guard. Image source: Taiwan's "United Daily News"
Gui Hongcheng, a legal scholar and chairman of Taiwan's "Democratic Culture and Education Foundation", said that the current practice of the "Tourism Agency" is only an "administrative guidance" in the Administrative Procedure Act. Although it has no coercive force, the industry will be afraid of it. If not If you cooperate, you will be targeted. He believes that achieving a substantive ban in this way violates people's rights.
Kuomintang "legislator" Weng Xiaoling also issued an article questioning whether group tourists will harm Taiwan's interests? Don’t individual travelers know that? The "Tourism Department" uses strong rhetoric, misuses the law, and has a tough attitude that is really undesirable. She said that according to the logic of the Democratic Progressive Party, cross-strait economic and trade exchanges should be completely banned. Why should the industry and people be labeled as damaging to the interests of Taiwan as a whole?
Former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou said in an interview on the 18th that the authorities were surprised that opening up tourism was really not a big deal and that it would be resolved through dialogue as soon as possible. Why has there been no movement for so long?
The island media "United Daily News" published an editorial stating that Tsai Ing-wen's authorities deliberately issued the tourism ban on the eve of the Spring Festival when the public had no time to deal with it. In addition to playing tricks on the people and travel industry, it was also adding obstacles to Lai Qingde. As soon as Lai Ching-te took office, he immediately had to face protests from the tourism industry and the anger of the people who were unable to go on tours. This also made cross-strait relations, which he was not good at, even worse. Some business owners directly said that the previous announcement by the authorities to reopen in March was simply "vote fraud."
The editorial also stated that there are nearly 4,000 travel agencies in Taiwan, and almost every one of them has trips to the mainland. In the past two or three months, travel operators have been trying their best to recruit tourist groups to the mainland, and in June the group has already received 70% to 80% of tourists. In the past four years, the tourism industry has been trapped by the epidemic, and after the lifting of the blockade, it was hindered by cross-strait politics. Now the authorities are belatedly opening up, but they are shutting down whenever they say it is called, and they are not even providing a stable business environment for the industry. If they don’t agree, they will even deprive the people of some free travel space.
Wu Yanhui, vice chairman of the Taiwan Travel Agents Association, recently revealed that the industry is planning to take to the streets to protest on the inauguration day of Taiwan's newly elected leader Lai Ching-te on May 20. Some travel industry operators even bluntly said that today it is the tourism industry, and tomorrow it will be agricultural products. After the DPP authorities win the election, they will have no burden and can do whatever they want. The Ministry of Transportation and the Tourism Administration are now being used as cannon fodder. This has been seen through.
In response, some netizens on the island left messages on Taiwan's online forum PTT, saying, "vote for the Democratic Progressive Party and the tourism industry will go to the battlefield" and "the tourism industry will go to the cemetery" to express dissatisfaction.
Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, responded to inquiries on the matter on February 7 and said that Taiwanese people have been looking forward to organizing group tours to the mainland for a long time, and the island's tourism industry has also been calling on the Democratic Progressive Party authorities to lift the ban as soon as possible. Since August last year, relevant parties in Taiwan have claimed several times that they have made plans to resume group tours organized by Taiwan travel agencies to the mainland, but at the same time they have attached conditions, which is always based on political calculations. Today, Taiwan's tourism authorities announced that the original plan will no longer be implemented. This is not the first time that it has gone back on its word.
Zhu Fenglian pointed out that this will only make the Taiwanese people and the tourism industry once again dissatisfied with the DPP authorities' political manipulation of tourism, hindering exchanges between compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, and harming the well-being of compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. (over)