The China Post
Date: September 13, 2016
By: Sun Hsin Hsuan
TAIPEI, Taiwan — An estimated 10,000 people braved the rain Monday in a protest aimed at “waking
Protesters march on Zhongxiao East Road in Taipei on Monday, Sept. 12, demanding that the government take action to support the tourism industry. (Sun Hsin Hsuan, The China Post)
the government” to what they said was the tourism sector’s dire condition and urgent need for support.
Wearing yellow and white headbands reading “jobs and survival” and T-shirts that read, “This is a life-or-death situation for the tourism sector,” they marched from outside the Democratic Progressive Party headquarters to the Presidential Office to submit a petition letter.
According to the Tourism Industry Alliance, the ad hoc group organizing the protest — comprised of labor union members from 11 tourism-related business sectors — traveled from across the country to participate in the march.
Alliance spokesman Lee Chi-yueh (李奇嶽) said protesters demanded concrete measures from the government to stimulate the lagging tourism industry as Chinese visitor numbers declined.
Requests included simplifying the tourist visa application process, offering 72-hour visa-free entry to mainland Chinese travelers and free-of-charge visas, providing US$40 subsidies to foreigners visiting cities south of Taoyuan for more than two consecutive nights, promoting weekday domestic tourism by issuing travel bonds to Taiwan nationals, purchasing out-of-date buses and banning illegal hotels. [FULL STORY]
