TAIPEI – There is an interesting editorial in the Taiwan Times that looks at the impact on Taiwan of the new cross-strait weekend flights.
The Times says, “The past few months have been a major disappointment for the tourism industry, with a golden opportunity — the opening to China — failing to deliver.â€
Further, it says the Taiwanese government “has hit a brick wall with China, where tight restrictions on which agencies can sell packages to Taiwan have made a mockery of President Ma Ying’s prediction of Chinese hordes crowding the nation’s tourist spots on a daily basis”.


The Times said the cross-strait weekend flights that began in July have proved more popular with commuting businesspeople than tourist groups
And the paper adds, “While Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi said last month that adding cross-strait flights would bring more Chinese, the fact is that some of the existing weekend routes have already been suspended because of a lack of passengers.
“No one in China, it seems, is interested in Kaohsiung,†the Times suggested.
Read the full story here http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2008/10/01/2003424677
