Lai Ching-te, the quasi-leader of Taiwan, will take office on May 20, and cross-strait relations have attracted much attention. Lin Weizhou, the former Republican representative of the Chinese Kuomintang, said that he is not optimistic because in the past 8 years of Tsai Ing-wen's "in power", has the two sides of the Taiwan Strait been relatively harmonious? The order prohibiting Taiwanese from organizing group tours to the mainland since June has not been lifted. For the parts that the DPP has not done well, the Kuomintang can only strengthen it. If the DPP does well, why should the Kuomintang risk being scolded for visiting the mainland? ? On the afternoon of the 26th, Kuomintang caucus chief Fu Kunqi led 17 blue-camp civilian representatives to visit the mainland. Taiwanese tourism industry operators came to the scene to see off the plane and held up slogans in support, hoping that the Kuomintang would bring back good news.
According to the China Review News Agency, Lin Weizhou gave an example. The Democratic Progressive Party went back on its word and originally promised to announce in March that Taiwanese people would be allowed to organize group tours to the mainland. After Lai Qingde was elected, the Democratic Progressive Party turned around and said that it would be banned from June, leaving Taiwan's tourism industry and people They all have no confidence or trust in the DPP authorities. For the Taiwanese people, organizing a tour can reduce a lot of costs and ensure travel safety. This is something the DPP authorities can correct and achieve. He wanted to ask what the disadvantages are. ?
Lin Weizhou emphasized that cross-strait tourism exchanges should be as convenient as possible for the people on both sides of the strait. The DPP authorities can improve it and not punish the people. The reason why the Kuomintang wants to visit the mainland for exchanges is mainly because the DPP failed to do a good job. If the DPP did a good job, the Kuomintang would not have to risk being scolded by Taiwanese people and "smeared" by the DPP for exchanges.
Lin Weizhou said that this time Fu Kunqi led Lai Qingde to visit the mainland before Lai Qingde's "520". Although it coincided with the session of Taiwan's legislative body, Fu hoped to release the voices of Taiwanese people before "520" and hoped for cross-strait exchanges and the Kuomintang meeting. Keep playing this role well.
It is reported that this is the largest blue camp civilian delegation visiting the mainland in history. The Taipei City Travel Association was also specially present to see off the plane, and held high the slogans of "passenger planes not fighter planes", "survival and food and clothing", and "peaceful cross-strait tourism recovery". Slogans express support and express feelings.
Wu Yongyi, the honorary chairman of the Taiwan Tourist Guides Association, who made a special trip to the airport to provide support, said in an interview with China Review News that the number of mainland tourists visiting Taiwan has dropped from 4.184 million in the heyday of 2015 to only 195,000 in 2023. The number of mainland tourists has dropped sharply in the past eight years. 93.4%, leaving almost all tour guides in Taiwan unemployed.
Wu Yongyi lamented that the tourism industry in Taiwan is really miserable now. Almost all tour guides have lost their jobs. Some colleagues in the industry with families have bought houses, but they can’t pay off the mortgages, and they can’t pay off the car loans, especially when they buy cars. Those who have children at home can't even pay the school fees. The most pitiful ones are those whose husband and wife are both working as tour guides. Their families are almost out of food and they no longer know how to live their lives.
Wu Yongyi said that originally everyone was looking forward to welcoming the spring of tourism after surviving the epidemic for three years, but due to the frozen cross-strait relations, mainland tourist groups were not able to come, and tour groups to the mainland were blocked after being open for only three months. This has made Taiwan's tourism industry even worse, with no hope in sight.
Wu Yongyi emphasized that the common appeal of Taiwan's tourism industry is to "lift the ban on group tours" and "fully open mainland tourists to Taiwan" as soon as possible. He hopes that Fu Kunqi's visit to the mainland will really break the ice between the two sides and accelerate the opening up of cross-strait tourism exchanges. , I hope that Fu Kunqi will bring back good news soon. This is the ardent expectation of Taiwan's tourism industry.
Straits Herald reporters Zhang Yuan and Xue Yang compiled the report
