Taipei Times
Date: Apr 20, 2016
By: Staff writer, with CNA

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said a recent decrease in the number of tourists from China is a political matter.

Ma told a delegation from the Monte Jade Science and Technology Association that foreign visitor arrivals to Taiwan reached 10.43 million last year, more than triple the 3.71 million per year average before he assumed office in 2008.

The Tourism Bureau has attributed the significant growth in tourist arrivals to cross-strait peace and liberalization during his term, Ma said.

Ma said that when he met with Kaohsiung residents on Sunday, they expressed concern about the falling number of visitor arrivals, a trend that he said is likely to get worse.

“Everyone knows that this is not a business issue, but rather a political one,” Ma said.

Since president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) won the presidential election on Jan. 16, there have been reports of China sending fewer tourists to Taiwan as a type of “political boycott” of the incoming Democratic Progressive Party administration that is to be sworn in on May 20.     [FULL  STORY]