Research Paper on Taiwanese Tourism Industry

Introduction

Linguistically, the term tourism buds from the 'tour'. According to Mclntosh and Goeldner (1986), tourism is 'the sum of the phenomena and relationships arising from the interactions of tourists, businesses, host governments and host communities, in the process of attracting and hosting these tourists and other visitors'. Bieger (1996) stated that destination of tourism is a geographical area that need to provide service and infrastructure necessary for the tourist to stay. As it has been from the past the tourism industry has evolved tremendously and it is in that effect that the following is going to revolve around the tourist industry in the Taiwanese country.

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Key Elements of Taiwanese Tourism Industry

Tourism according to Kris (2018) is an extremely competitive business that requires tourist destination to continually introduce new changes to meet the needs of the tourists and attract more to their destination. Globally tourism is changing daily with many regions marketing their tourist attraction sites using different strategies to convince individuals to visit these places. According to Kris (2018), there are two main elements which are the direct and the indirect factors that can convince people to visit these tourist destinations. Direct elements in this industry include those areas and things that make the tourism experience attractive, more fun and relaxing. These kinds of features include good accommodation, availability of transport for tourists and recreational facilities among others. A tourist destination having the right direct elements allows the visitors to experience their visit without having to worry about things like where they will sleep or how they will get back home. Direct elements provide a sense of safety to the tourists as well as to the commoners. The provision of jobs that are created by the tourism industry reduce the levels of insecurity in the areas where tourists go and it becomes a win-win situation between the locals and the tourists (Breda& Costa, 2006).

Indirect elements, on the other hand, are the supporting areas within the tourist destination that facilitates the happening of activities in the tourist industry. These elements include the available means of communications, infrastructure, the supply of necessities such as water and housing. Despite being indirect, these aspects of the tourism sector markets the tourist destination as they contribute towards making the trip memorable. Advancement in technology has improved indirect elements of tourism and without adapting to these destinations will lose out to technologically enhanced regions.

The main difference direct elements and indirect elements are the ways they affect the tourism industry of the Taiwanese island. For example, a direct element as to why tourists would prefer going to the national park would be to view how the Japanese had refurbished the place and also viewing the Sulphur mines. The indirect elements would include the following: the socializing factors that come along with the interaction between the tourists and the Taiwanese people, the experience tourists get outside the tourist destinations among other things. Both of these factors greatly affect the experience that tourists get when visiting these places. The results that come along with the experience that tourist gets from the tours is one of the main reasons as to why they would refer such a place to other people. Hence it is important for both the elements to work in unison and ensure the productivity of the tourism industry for the Taiwanese island.

Overview of the Taiwanese Tourism Industry

The Taiwanese tourism industry is on an upward trajectory and is partly responsible for the country's impressive economic growth in the recent times. The main reason for such growth is the successful implementation of various promotional campaigns such as "Year of the Tourist" and the "Tourists Doubling" in 2008 and 2012 respectively, Tsai (2013). The purpose of such campaigns, which are mainly spread by the government, is to pitch the country as the most viable tourist destination in the whole of Asia. In 2017, the international visitors' arrivals totaled approximately 4.7 million. The annual growth stands at an average of 6.78% from 2007 to date. The 2008 Beijing Olympic was the hallmark of the Taiwan's tourism, as many visitors flocked the country due to its perceived convenience and unmatched hospitality, Tsai (2013). Moreover, the country is quite secure and safe making it ideal to the visitors. In the contemporary setting, the tourism industry accounts for 1.7% of the country's Gross Domestic Product, which is quite high even by international standards, Tsai (2013).

Travel or pleasure marks the top most reason for the people who visit the country followed by business. The government uses tourism as a tool to attract foreign investment especially in the booming technology sector. To this end, the government constructed the Taiwan Straits that link the country to Mainland China thereby making it seriously accessible to the visitors and investors. Direct transportation as mentioned above has the advantage of minimizing the transit time while at the same time saving cost, Tsai (2013). Due to the high population and the economic growth in China, Taiwan will certainly benefit through the generation of massive business opportunities, meaning that tourism and related industries will benefit from such progress.

The country's main sources of attraction include the customs and culture, cuisine, scenery, historical buildings, and the distance from residence. Taiwan is an impeccable tourist destination largely for both regional and international tourists due to its geography and culture that include hospitality, multicultural society, the natural resources, and savory dishes. The Lantern Festival, which is an annual event organized by the country's Tourism Bureau, involves the lighting of various lanterns, and is a major tourist attraction event. Additionally, Goddess Mazu's birthday is also a large religious gathering hold yearly, a million or more people participate in this festival, and is also a major tourist attraction event.

Furthermore, environmental preservation efforts initiated by the government are responsible for close to 60% of forest coverage, meaning that the ecological environment has great variety of fauna and flora. The country also experiences a subtropical climate characterized with abundant rainfall. Taiwan has famous species such as the blue magpie, landlocked salmon, and the black bear. The international and local travelers normally visit the country to see the nine acclaimed national parks with unique natural treasures. The government gives a lot of emphasis and investment towards the preservation of the natural resources, as such form the major tourist attraction sites that is the second leading foreign exchange earner after export form technology related merchandise.

It is worth noting that Taiwan is the pioneer conservator of the Chinese culture. The fact that the country houses the National Place Museum, which is the first treasure in the world that houses the Chinese artifacts and arts, makes a magnificent destination for history and information enthusiasts. The other landmarks popular with international tourists is CKS Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, and the Night Markets, World Travel & Tourism Council (2017). The night markets are quite popular because the visitors get to satisfy their tastes while at the same time the place meets their social and leisure needs. The night markets definitely form a special type of dining culture since they are located almost everywhere in the country. To the locals they form a cuisine, but to the tourists they are a sort of exotic trip to experience Taiwan's culture.

Taipei is one of the largest Cities in the Taiwan Island and is the capital city. The town has ancient Chinese museums which are flocked by thousands of Chinese tourist every year in view of these museums and temples. The city has become one of the leading enterprise location that has boomed technology and can be used by the people that visit these towns. The extensive offers that are experienced in Taipei satellite cities is also one of the main reason as to why people flock these town. The extensive offers that come from the more than one hundred clothe line stores in the satellite cities of Taipei make visiting the capital a dream come true for shop lovers. The other amazing feature of the city is that there are various urban parks where people can go and rest as they experience modernization of parks in the city. Hiking expenditure tours across the city and photo shoot are some of the extra activities that people and tourist can experience while in the city. The city becoming one of the techno hubs in the region could also trigger the reason as to why people flock to the city unlike the national parks that are located in the outskirts of the city.

For pleasure people tend to flock the national parks mostly the Yangmingshan National Park. The park is home to numerous parks and hosts one of the internationally famous hot springs. The Park Range in elevation is from 200 to 1200 meters that come with different sub- tropical climate zones within the park. The park is frequented by nature lovers and people that enjoy nature in general. The park is mostly frequented by Japanese tourists for in the past when they dwelt on the island they planted different types of trees to beautify the mountain. There are other sites that people go to see like the decommissioned Sulphur mines among others. People that love nature walks and hiking's also frequent the parks for the experience of the different sub-tropical temperatures within the park.

Traveler's Motivation

According to Fratu,(2011), the following are the factors that convince a person to take the initiative to travel to a particular place. Behaviors of tourist's best explain what motivates them to visit specific regions either interaction with the people or the fulfillment they get from visiting a particular area. Motivation to travel is also influenced by a person's desire to escape from the regular activities, find joy and relaxation through taking a vacation.

Various things motivate tourist to visit Taiwan and enjoy their vacation, and one of this is rare species found here which includes landlocked salmon, black bear, and the blue magpie. Tourism is one of the leading foreign exchange earners for Taiwan they allocate a right amount of the budget towards the maintaining and management of the nation's vital resources (Fratu, 2011).

Taiwanese food is loved by many tourists as research indicates that most of these visitors spend around 40% of their funds in buying the dishes. In Taiwan tourist are treated to a variety of food dishes ranging from the traditional delicacies, Japanese foods, and Chinese cuisines among others. These kinds of delicacies are loved so much by tourist to an extent it is gaining international recognition. Shih (2008) identified beef noodles, bubble cake, pineapple cakes and minced pork rice as some of the typical delicacies preferred by tourists. Another critical factor that motivates tourist to visit Taiwan is the presence of multicultural diversity an element that makes them feel welcomed within the nation without the fear of being discriminated.

National parks in Taiwan offer diverse landscape features and rich vegetation scenery. Parks also have a peaceful environment with well-marked rails ideal for hiking and camping. Taiwan parks also have many animal species and trees such as bamboo and many more. Mountainous areas of the parks are capped with a thick layer of snow which provides a suitable place to climb. The strategic location of Taiwan makes it a favorable destination for tourists. Being in central Asia, it connects to many nations fr...