Taiwan says visitor arrivals from China are down 36.2% since Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen took power in May.
There has been a tetchy relationship between Tsai’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party and Beijing almost since day one of her Presidency, with China limiting the flow of tourists to Taiwan, especially lucrative group tours.
At the heart of the political tension is Beijing’s insistence and Taiwan’s opposition to a ‘one China’ principle that Taiwan is a part of China.
The Taiwan government has been forced to prop up the Taiwan tourism sector with subsidies to keep businesses afloat and is positioning itself toward Southeast Asia to attract more tourists.
"Taiwan will maintain its policy of welcoming mainland Chinese tourists but due to political factors that impact mainland tourists coming to Taiwan, our government will plan for the worst and prepare for the best," Chiu Chui-cheng, deputy minister of the Mainland Affairs Council said at a media briefing.
The number of Chinese tourists on group tours has shrunk even more with a 52.7% drop since May.
