The President gives "Special Approval" to Mainland Tourists

The President gives "Special Approval" to Mainland Tourists
United Daily News editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
February 14, 2008

A cruise ship carrying over 600 mainland tourists to the south and north of Taiwan provided the local tourism industry a short-term windfall. The increase in business opportunities was gratifying. But more noteworthy was the pomp and circumstance with which the local tourism industry greeted these VIPs, and their mood of desperation. Taiwan's tourism industry has been "waiting for the first swallows of spring" for several years now. The opening up of Taiwan to mainland tourists has always been a case of "much thunder, little rain." Now Chen Shui-bian is claiming credit for granting "special approval" to single shipload of tourists. We cannot help asking: Why should something as mundane as a shipload of tourists require "special approval" by the president? How long will we have to endure this absurd state of affairs?

Allowing mainland tourists to visit Taiwan and normalizing cross-strait tourism is an important plank in the election platforms of both the Ma Ying-jeou and Frank Hsieh camps. Now that A-bian has jumped on the bandwagon and attempting to claim credit, large-scale opening up should be merely a matter of time. But because the island's tourism industry has waited so long and been disappointed so many times in the past, it is adopting a low-keyed attitude.

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party is talking about making the pie bigger, promising "many times more tourists." Yet the premier is still the product of Yu Shyi-kun era "Challenge 2008 National Development Plan." At the time pundits noted that if the plan was to be more than empty talk, it had make use of Taiwan's geographical advantages. It would work only if the island was turned into a regional trans-shipment center as soon as possible, and opened up to mainland tourists. But cross-straits relations have never been relaxed. Chen Shui-bian has flip-flopped repeatedly, resulting in cross-strait relations taking one step forward and two steps back. The government has tied the hands of middlemen who could have expedited matters. Opening up the island to mainland tourists has become a rubber check that government officials issue freely without having to make good.

In 2005 the mainland's National Tourism Bureau allowed mainland residents to visit Taiwan, on three conditions. Beijing would work with Taipei to control the total volume. It appeared as if the time had come and conditions were right. But the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Transportation suddenly demanded "government-to-government" consultations, leading to yet another stalemate. Last year, after Chinese New Year, Chen Shui-bian held a Spring Festival Friendship Tea Party for Taiwan businessmen in Taipei. He personally promised that mainland tourists would soon be allowed to visit Taiwan. As a result the local tourism industry once again made preparations for the mainland's early May "Golden Week." Who knew negotiations would run aground, yet again. The Taiwan stock market's tourism sector has risen and fallen repeatedly with vacillating policy decisions. The tourism industry listened to the government's policy declarations and increased its investments. But each time its hopes were shattered. Its resources were idled. It was caught with no return on its capital. Nor did it have any idea how many more times this would go on. When will promises that mainland tourists will be permitted to come to Taiwan be honored? On the Twelfth of Never?

Taiwan is "Formosa," a beautiful island, a humane and vibrant place. It has enormous potentional as a tourist destination. It ranks high in the World Economic Forum national tourism competitiveness index. Taiwan's natural beauty earned the Chicago Sun-Times tourism column's praise: "well worth spending 14 hours to fly from Chicago." The column also praised the people as friendly and courteous. On the other hand, based on actual income from tourism among Asian countries, the Taiwan region ranked only ninth. This was less than many neighbouring Southeast Asian countries. One reason is that in its effort to promote tourism the government has failed to do its homework. It failed to properly market Taiwan's selling points. But the real issue is the government's Closed Door Policy. Taiwan is separated from the mainland by nothing but the Taiwan Strait, yet one cannot fly non-stop to the opposite shore. This makes it impossible for Taiwan to become a connection point for cross-strait tourism. This squanders Taiwan's three biggest advantages: location, location, location, and has created additional obstacles to the promotion of bi-directional cross-straits tourism and international tourism.

The ruling and opposition parties know that opening up the island to tourism, particularly tourists from the mainland, can create business opportunities. But the ruling party continues to play its deceitful games. On the one hand it promises the local tourism industry the sky. On the other hand it keeps raising the threshold for cross-strait consultations, providing itself with excuses to break off negotiations. It has exhausted the patience of the local tourism industry. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party trotted out its "Challenge 2008 National Development Plan" early in its administration. It was confident it would have a respectable political record by 2008. It is now 2008. How many commitments have been realized? The tourism industry in Kaohsiung and Keelung rolled out the red carpet for a mainland cruise ship carrying 600 guests. Even taxi drivers mobilized, working night shifts. Their desperate hope of economic opportunities makes one sad. Why was Chen Shui-bian's "special approval" limited to a single cruise ship? Why not extend this approval to permit earlier and broader cross-strait economic and trade policies?

陸客觀光有勞總統「特案批准」的日子還要忍多久？
【聯合報╱社論】
2008.02.14

載著包括六百多名大陸觀光客的郵輪旅遊團，為台灣一南一北的觀光業者帶來短暫的熱鬧生意。但與其說是業績增長令人高興，不如說業者迎嬌客的盛大排場和迫切心情更值得關注。台灣觀光業者「等待燕子捎來春天的消息」已有數年之久，開放陸客來台觀光政策始終是雷聲大雨點小。如今只一船客人，竟招來陳水扁總統自誇「特案批准」的功勞！大家不免要問：這種迎接生意上門還有勞總統「特案批准」的情況，究竟還要忍多久？

開放大陸觀光客來台的規模和常態化，如今已是馬英九陣營和謝長廷陣營競相承諾的重要政見。從阿扁也參上一腳對此次個案「邀功」的情形來看，大規模開放應是遲早之事。但以國內業者期待之深，現在反而低調並忐忑不安，實在是因為等太久，又失望太多次了。

民進黨政府畫出「觀光客倍增」的大餅，乃閣揆仍是游錫?時代的「挑戰二○○八年——國家發展重點計畫」的產品。當時輿論即指出，若要使這項目標不流於空言，唯有在台灣利用地理位置優勢，發展成為區域轉運中心，並儘速開放大陸觀光客來台，才有可能實現。但兩岸關係始終未見和緩，阿扁多次發言反覆，造成兩岸關係進一步退兩步，也使得很多本來可授權「白手套」進行的兩岸協商停滯不前；開放大陸觀光客來台遂成為政府官員「坐而言卻無法起而行」的一張空頭支票。

二○○ 五年中共國家旅遊局公布開放大陸居民赴台旅遊三原則，與我方「總量管制」、團進團出等原則相當配合，眼見即將水到渠成；卻又在主管的陸委會和交通部堅持協商「政府對政府」的條件下陷入僵局。去年春節過後，為台商在台北舉辦的春節聯誼茶會中，陳水扁親口向台商宣布，陸客來台觀光即將開放。於是，本地業者再次摩拳擦掌準備迎接五月初的大陸「黃金週」假期，誰知協商又一次觸礁。如此三番兩次，台灣股市的觀光類股隨政策消息反反覆覆而起起伏伏；觀光業者聽信政府放出的政策訊息而增加投資，之後卻又希望落空，甚至因資源閒置、資本無回而慘遭套牢，更已不知多少回。大陸客來台觀光政策，何時才能脫離畫餅充飢的局面？

台灣既是福爾摩沙美麗島，又是人文薈萃之地，原本極具發展觀光事業的潛力，在世界經濟論壇公布的各國觀光競爭力指數中，亦排名不差。台灣之美，曾令美國芝加哥太陽時報專欄作家為文讚嘆：「的確值得花十四小時從芝加哥坐飛機來」，且大力推崇台灣民眾的有禮友善。但另一方面，若論實際的旅遊收入，台灣在亞洲國家只排名第九，較很多鄰近的東南亞國家都不如。政府推展觀光卻未能做好發揚特色和包裝行銷的基本功課，固然是原因之一；但真正關鍵仍在鎖國政策，隔著一道台灣海峽卻無法直飛到對岸，使得台灣無法成為連接兩岸旅遊點的中途站，白白浪費了台灣的區域位置優勢，於推展兩岸雙向旅遊及國際觀光都增添了障礙。

朝野如今俱已認知開拓觀光產業、尤其吸引大陸客來台旅遊，可能帶來的商機。但執政黨如果繼續玩這種一方面向國內業者開出支票、一方面堅持提高談判門檻以致兩岸協商破局的遊戲，則國內相關業者苦撐待變的能力和耐心恐怕終將耗盡。民進黨執政初期即畫出「挑戰二○○八年——國家發展重點計畫」的大餅，可見對於二 ○○八年的執政成績有所信心。如今已邁入二○○八年，當年的執政承諾究竟實踐了多少？看高雄和基隆業者如此隆重迎接一船六百多大陸貴賓，連計程車司機都大舉出動熬夜排班，渴求商機的心情令人感嘆。阿扁所應「特案批准」者，與其限於一郵輪的觀光客，何不及早擴及更寬廣的兩岸經貿政策？