Tourism in Taiwan - Case Study Example

Introduction: Taiwan is a country that takes the shape of a leaf and narrows at both ends giving a beautiful shape, and hence making it a perfect travel destination that is also made possible by its location to the south of Philippines and to the north of Japan. The country’s total area of land stretches to a 36, 000 square kilometres. The plains and rolling hills, coastlines, majestic peaks, and numerous other natural landscapes have been created as a result of the prevalent tectonic movements adding to the aspect of the country’s position on the western edge of the pacific “rim of fire.” The country boast of approximately 19, 000 species of island and wildlife, with more than 30% composing of endangered or rare species; such as the Xueshan grass island, Formosan black bear, Taiwan serow, Mikado pheasant, Formosan rock monkey, and the land-locked salmon. The country’s population stretches up-to more that 24 million with its largest part being occupied by the immigrants and the descendants from numerous mainland China provinces, especially from the south-eastern coastal provinces such as the Guangdong and the Fujian. There has also been a decline in the differences that initially existed among the people from the diverse provinces as a result of the integration of the different ethnic groups (M.O.T.C. 2014). None the less, some original Taiwan inhabitants still live here, totalling to around over 500 000 in number and consisting of approximately 14 tribes such as the Tsou, Sedig, Atayal, Puyuma, Truku, Paiwan, Rukai, Thao, Saisivat, Bunum, Amis, Yami, Sakizaya, Kayalan, and teh Kayalan. Even though most of the Taiwanese are of the southern Fujianese descent, their official language is Mandarin Chinese. The other common language spoken in Taiwan is the Helu or the southern Min dialect. We also have indigenous tribes and minor groups of people who have preserved their own languages with the elderly people also speaking Japanese simply because of the Japanese education influence before the return of the Taiwan to Chinese rule after the Japanese occupation in the year 1945 that lasted fifty years (Jacob and Chung-Chian 2008). The official language is English and most tourists from the United States and Europe also come to Taiwan to spend their holidays for at least one or two years while learning Chinese since it has various language schools that also offer Chinese classes. A total of 13 national scenic areas and about eight national parks to best preserve the Taiwan’s natural ecologic cultural and environmental sites were established by the Taiwan government. The activities such as hiking the top of Northeast Asia’s highest peak, trekking the Taroko Georges’s cliffs, familiarising yourself with the breathtaking sea of clouds and the sunrise, and taking a ride on the Alishan forest railway makes it possible to discover Taiwan as a beautiful tourist destination. On top of these amazing discoveries, tourists, both locals and internationals visiting Taiwan touristic sites can as well treat themselves by paying a visit to the offshore islands of Pengu and Kinmen; stand at the edge of Sun Moon alke; soak themselves in the sun in Kending (kenting), the Hawaii version in Asia; and wander through the East Rift valley. Travel motivations The decisions that make tourists to travel are determined by various multiple motivations. (Baogang and Chung-chian 2012) explains that different tourists harbour different reasons that makes them choose to either travel domestically or internationally on their tourism escapades. The motivations of the “push” and “pull” factors are always related to the holiday’s destination choices as suggested by the tourists’ motives when intending to visit a particular destination (Helmut 2006). The “push” factors are described as the motivational needs or factors that come up as a state of tension or disquiet in the motivational system and they derived from the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (Jacob and Chung-Chian 2008; Baogang and Chung-chian 2012). Derek and Kirkpatrick (2005), for instance classified the traveller’s pleasures for the first time and defined both ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors. They explained that push factors comprised of landscapes and people, and destination cultures while ‘pull’ factors represented destination amenities. Baogang and Chung-chian (2012) attempted to clarify the reasons as to why people travel and what determined their choice of destination, and claimed that previous scholars in their research failed short of solving the subject. He came up with a variety of socio-psychological motives that make people to take vacations, such as the urge to escape routine (boredom), and to take a break as a result of high stress levels. He further described these factors as ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors. Push factors motivates people to take vacations and a variety of them are referred to as a reaction to as ego-enhancement (a desire for fantasy that supports a provision of psychological boosts), or anomie (a social alienation feeling). The ‘pull’ factors on the other side tend to reside with the activities of promotions for the tourism industry and destination and comprise of the definite decision making of where to go. Some of these tourism motivational factors include: Recreation (Anomie) Kinship relations enhancement (ego-enhancement) Getaway from a seemingly ordinary background (anomie). Less inhibited actions (ego-enhancement) Societal communication facilitation (anomie) Status (Ego-enhancement) Self evaluation and exploration (ego-enhancement) In that regard, Taiwanese island as a tourist destination offers freedom to the visiting tourists especially from the Chinese, Thailand and Hong Kong citizens who come to relax their minds and engage sports activities and get together family re-unions among other activities both tangible and intangible. The Taiwanese tourism industry also offers the foreign tourists more power than the natives and exotics local yet safe and “just like home.” Taiwanese Tourism Push factors Helmut (2006) studied the variations in travel motivations in tourists visiting Taiwan and identified several push factors. Tourists travel because they are simultaneously pulled by destinations attributes and attractions and also because they are pushed by their own internal forces. Some of the pull factors identified with the Taiwanese tourists comprise of; family/friends togetherness, prestige and luxury, escape, education and knowledge and achievements, familiar environment, novelty, excitement and adventure, and engagement in sports. According to Terry (2006), Most of the tourists who visit Taiwan come from China, Hong Kong, Thailand, Phuket, Japan and Penghu. The tourism push factors consists of the tourists excitements and helps them to ascertain themselves. The push factors consist of the intangible and are origin related of the individual traveller’s intrinsic desires (for instance, the desire for prestige, relaxation and rest, health, the desire for escape and adventure). Andrew (2007) ascertains that the tourists visiting Taiwan are mostly motivated by the Taiwanese clean environment and spacious beaches, undersea views and good air quality, the travel agencies and recommendations that they watch and read in the media, and also the desire to have a first hand on security facilities and safety. The push factors also motivate the visiting tourists to be able to increase their knowledge by learning new things and ideas. The other push factors driving tourists especially from China, Thailand and Hong Kong is the desire to discover Taiwan, escape from their daily routines from their mother country and also to relax and enhance togetherness. In the context of enhancing togetherness, the tourists also visits the Taiwanese island just to meet new people and make more friends, have a good time and bonding with their families, and also to spend ample time with friends and relatives. The escape part of it also creates a good time for these tourists to be able to have time for shopping in Taiwan enabling them to escape from their ordinary responsibilities back at home. The tourism escapades also help the tourists visiting Taiwan to become emotionally and physical refreshed, see the Taiwanese breathtaking Mother Nature, reduce stress by getting away from the routine school work or job activities, and also experiencing the diversity of new lifestyles. Taiwanese Tourism Pull Factors Ryan (2007) asserts that in numerous cases of ‘pull’ factors do not play the motivational roles since they act as common sense explanations of specific tourism activities. The pull factors driving tourists to Taiwan include; safety, active sports environments, sunshine on the splendid beaches, local culture, shopping and cleanliness, local Taiwanese entertainment, diverse cuisine, culture, and uniqueness of the island’s small towns, unique natural environment, reliable whether and safety, and mountains and villages of Taiwan. The pull factors motivate the visiting tourists in Taiwan to experience the Taiwanese exotic features. These factors are primarily related to the tangible characteristics and the attractiveness of a given destination (Baogang and Chung-chian 2012). And in this case, the tourists visiting Taiwan are mostly attracted to the Taiwanese recreational facilities and accommodations, historical and cultural resources, and its beaches. The re-visitations and special resources, natural resources, costs, promotions, and the facilities that encompasses the pull factors in Taiwan domestic tourism attracts mainly the Chinese, Hong Kong, Philippines, the Japanese citizens and other foreign tourists to Taiwan (Helmut 2006 ). The tourist that heavily contributes to the Taiwan economy mainly visits Taiwan to find excitement and thrills, experience the Taiwanese exotic culture, rediscover themselves, increase their knowledge by learning something new, and to experience the Taiwanese exotic food. The attractive facilities such as the good service quality, good food sensation, clean living environment safety security facilities, professional medical equipments also contributes greatly on the pull factors that drive tourists to visit Taiwan. These are made possible by the Taiwanese promotional medium such as the festival events, proper travelling seasons, recommendations from the media, travelling agencies recommendations, exotic features, and recommendations from the internet (Teresa & Wall 2009). Moreover, Derek and Kirkpatrick 2005 also observed that the cost of commodities also immensely contributes to the tourists travelling behaviours to other foreign destinations. In Taiwan for instance, the cost of food, travelling packages, and other related products are not expensive. In fact, there are a lot of discount promotions of various commodities. The island also boasts of the natural resources such as the spacious beaches, good undersea view, festival events, good air quality, beautiful landscapes and scenery, and the limpid sea. Re-visitation and special events also contribute to the pull factors that attract major foreign tourists to Taiwan. These include family oriented destinations, the urge to attend the international sports events and also a repeat visitation of the foreign tourism destinations. Hyun, Ming & Shawn (2006) explains that tourism in Taiwan has been stimulated by improved facilities and the transport has also been stimulated by tourism expansion. Tourism transport basics are sustained by accessibility as the main function. Any mode of transport can be used by tourists to their areas of visit in Taiwan (Baogang and Chung-chian 2012), and air transport remains the main transportation mode of international tourists in Taiwan and entails long distance travels. Te local economy of Taiwan usually makes enough contributions from the foreign tourists that the government is always ready to invest in the reliable road networks and even on airport facilities. The main modes of transportation used by tourists in Taiwan include: car travelling, railway travelling, coach travelling, air transport, and cruises. The Taiwanese government has also employed a wide range of promotional tools in the bid to advertise tourism packages and activities in the country. The consumer behaviour of people from development countries cannot be predicted since they are becoming more complex with time and hence making them more difficult to be persuaded to consume tourism products. This has made Taiwanese tourism companies to endeavour in differentiating themselves in the tourism market by initiating unique selling points (Terry 2006; Samuel et al. 2006). Intense advertisement spending and audience competition has been fuelled by the proliferation of media outlets. For the target market to be reached, advertisements have to be spread in numerous outlets since the audience is fragmented. The other ways that the tourism companies in Taiwan is using to popularise their tourism market comprise of the use of integrated market communications technologies, such as sales promotions, public relations (PR) since they are the most visible outputs of travel and tourism. The company also uses websites because they form the center of communication activities of numerous travel and tourism businesses marketing (Cooper et al. 2008). Traditional agencies are also employed by the tourists companies to do the advertising/PR agency that tasks itself with implementations and management of camp planning among other services. Other materials that fall under the dimensions of marketing communications such as sales promotion and sponsoring, PR, direct marketing and advertising are also used as promotional materials. Traditional TV, print media, and radios are also used for the purpose of tourism advertisements (Teresa & Wall 2009). All these types of advertisements can also be classified under the promotional mix to advertise and promote tourism in Taiwan. Taiwanese Tourism industry effectiveness in the hospitality products and services provisions The impact of tourism in Taiwan has the expansion of tourism in the country bringing with it affordable economic development as far as way back in the 1970s. The discipline of transport geography is one of the benefits of tourism in Taiwan and also making travelling a very vital feature in the Taiwanese society. Apart from seeking pleasure and fun, some of the foreign tourists who travel to Taiwan come to learn more about its potential markets the country’s geographical region, and exploit its resources. Travelling in Taiwan has become more predictable especially during the annual holidays. Chen & Song (2009) acknowledges that the tourism activities has made travelling more reliable and made it more exiting in the organised environments. Tourism in Taiwan can be characterised with high level of elasticity because it is an economic activity that has made transport cost in the country more significant since the cost fluctuations strongly influences the demand making the international and local transport a major element in the Taiwanese tourism industry (Derek and Kirkpatrick 2005; Ryan 2007). The national and international transport infrastructures need very complex and heavy investments because a large number of people want to move in an inexpensive and efficient way. And since the industry is constantly moving at a very fast rate, better intellectually planned schedules and organised terminals have been put into place to effectively promote tourists facilities and effective transportation facilities (Helmut 2006). Most of the Taiwanese food is derive from the Chinese mainland cuisines. Food such as Beifang Szechuan, and Cantonese are most of the Chinese food available in Taiwan (Smart tourism Taiwan 2014). Other local specialities available in Taiwan include; oyster omelette, beef noodles, Taiwan Sausages, and Aiyu jelly. Many different countries are influenced by the passion for food served in different cities in Taiwan making them famous for special foods. Angloinfo (2014) explains that fried pawns and raw fish that are that are Japanese classic choices and cooking techniques have been reworked in Taiwanese specialities. Tea has a global reputation and very popular in Taiwan. Taiwanese culture is also defined by alcoholic drinking for quite a long time especially in the business perspective. A very strong drink made up by distilling and fermenting sorghum and known as the sorghum or kaoliang liquor is very popular in Taiwan. Huge impacts as a result of tourists influx in Taiwan especially in small areas has always seen the addition of more waste, pollution, and more water needs, resulting in increased pressure on the local inhabitants and infrastructure (Tzu-Ping & Andreas 2008). In a bid to curb this, the government and the business community has moved in to build more resorts, airports, golf course, and marina which has also resulted in massive tourism developments. Fragile marine ecosystems also sometimes surfer because of overdevelopment along the coastal areas prompting the environmental department bodies and government devising ways of reducing the damages caused in the Taiwanese ecosystem. Marine animals such as the seals, whales, sharks, dolphins and birds has also been disturbed by increase of people approaching too closely using boats in their habitats. Moreover careless boating fishing and snorkelling as part of the tourist’s recreational activities has also adversely had some effects on the coral reefs in various parts of the world (Helmut 2006). Conclusions and Recommendations Taiwan has been considered as one of the major tourist attractions for Hong Kong Tourism market since the year 1987 and that has been driven by the economic and political forces of cross-strait. The main study of our report was to examine the Taiwan tourism factors such as the Taiwanese tourism segmentation of clusters, the tourism and travel motivational factors for tourists visit Taiwan and the travelling motivational clusters. Hence, several push and pull factors were identified and established as some of the tourism economic development potentials in Taiwan. The tourism activities in Taiwan help in the expansion of its people’s horizons, enriching their content and providing variety of more leisure life in the perspective of development. This has made the Taiwanese government to engage in the development of tourism attraction sites so as to meet the tourism needs. Investment opportunities for the locals such as the establishment of hotels, bars, beer houses, and pubs in main Taiwanese cities are thriving and giving the locals the opportunity to do business and make a living. The new prospects in Taiwanese tourism has also been made possible by ‘Project Vanguard for Excellence’ that endeavours in establishing one of a kind features for the Taiwanese key regions namely: offshore islands, eastern, northern, southern and central Taiwan (Chuang 2013). Internationally, Taiwan has the opportunity to enhance its brand image, build a ravel environment with touristic sites in its entire location, and deepen the experiences of foreign tourists. The optimisation quality of life and travel of Taiwanese people and advanced regional economics and tourism development will also be achieved domestically through tourism. Increased foreign exchange revenues, increased local employment opportunities, and enhanced domestic travel quality has also been the main achievement of tourism in Taiwan. References Taiwan Tourism Policy, Tourism Bureau, M.O.T.C. Republic of China, 2014. Available from: http://admin.taiwan.net.tw/public/public_en.aspx?no=6. [25th March 2014]. Ministry of Transport and Communication (MOTC) 2014. Available from: . [25th March 2014]. Smart tourism Taiwan, 2014. Available from: . [25th March 2014]. Angloinfo, 2014. Drinks in Taiwan: Find out about popular beverages and alcoholic drinks in Taiwan. . [26th march 2014]. Taiwan – Food and Drink, 2014. Available from: < http://www.expatfocus.com/expatriate-taiwan-food-drink >. Helmut, W. eds., 2006. Tourism and Borders: Contemporary Issues, Policies and International. Hampshire, England: Ashgate Publishing Limited. Baogang, G and Chung-chian, T. eds., 2012. Taiwan and the Rise of China: Cross-Strait Relations in the Twenty-first Century. 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Chen, C, F & Song, Z 2009, ‘Tourism expansion, tourism uncertainty and economic growth: New evidence from Taiwan and Korea’, Journal of Tourism Management, Vol. 30, No. 6, pp. 812-818. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2008.12.013. Samuel, et al. 2006. ‘Tourism and reconciliation between Mainland China and Taiwan’, Journal of Tourism Management, Vol. 27, No. 5, pp. 997-1005. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2005.08.001. Chuang, S 2013. ‘Resident’s attitudes towards rural tourism in Taiwan’, International Journal of Tourism Research, Vol. 15, pp. 152-170. doi: 10.1002/jtr. Teresa, C. H. T. & Wall, G 2009. ‘Tourism as a sustainable livelihood strategy’, Journal of Tourism Management, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 90-98. doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2008.03.009. Tzu-Ping, L & Andreas, M 2008. ‘Tourism climate and thermal comfort in Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan’, International journal of biometeorology, Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 281-290. doi: 10.1007/s00484-007-0122-7. Appendix Appendix A: Map and Location of Taiwan. Read More