Hualien locals turn to consulting firm as tourism continues to flounder

Hualien locals turn to consulting firm as tourism continues to flounder

2024-06-20

Turning now to Hualien. Since the April 3 earthquake, Hualien has struggled with a drop in tourist numbers. This Dragon Boat Festival, online travel bookings dropped 80% year-on-year, while restaurant revenues fell by nearly 50%. To restore tourists’ confidence in the eastern county, young entrepreneurs are working with a consulting firm to devise solutions.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim takes a tour of Hualien’s Jiang Jun-fu 1936. The park opened in April, only to close shortly afterward due to a magnitude 7.2 earthquake. The park’s managers had hoped to welcome a surge of tourists, only to be disappointed by a twist of fate.

Jen Yu-hsin
Jiang Jun-fu 1936 founder
Most of the businesses and residents in this area are doing fine. But I feel that restoring tourists’ confidence will be very difficult.

This year’s Dragon Boat Festival occurred more than two months after the earthquake. Online travel bookings for the holiday were down 80% compared to the previous year, while restaurant revenue dropped 47%. Even nearby Taitung hasn’t been spared by the fallout, with its revenue declining by 33%. To salvage local tourism, young Hualien residents are working with a consulting firm to find solutions.

Jen Yu-hsin
Jiang Jun-fu 1936 founder
Hualien isn’t just Taroko Gorge. It’s always offered a wealth of experiences, for instance marine activities like whale watching, rafting, canoeing, and stand-up paddleboarding. Indigenous villages also offer cultural experiences. We cherish this opportunity to reintroduce folks to all the other sides of Hualien.

Ken Chen
Cofounder of smart dining brand
We encourage businesses that offer food and experiences to list them on the “experience platform.” This can help to secure more government subsidies, and more people can see what we offer. It’s very important to have an English-language booking system, because foreign tourism to Taiwan is still going strong.

In Hualien County, some 60% of residents work in the tourism industry. Local youth are working to promote the region’s offerings, to restore tourists’ confidence for the summer season and beyond.

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花蓮震後網路行程預訂少8成在地青年:觀光客沒信心

2024-06-20

0403大地震後，花蓮觀光提不起勁，就算迎來端午連假，網路上預訂行程的數量，比以往衰退8成，餐飲店家的營業額，也比去年減少快一半。在地青年表示，大部分業者和居民都好好的，挽救觀光客信心，才是最大考驗，因此攜手顧問公司合作推廣，希望旅客在暑假時，多來花蓮玩。

來到花蓮將軍府參觀，副總統蕭美琴逛得很起勁，不過，4月才對外開放的園區，營運沒幾天就遇上0403大地震，在地創生團隊本來準備好衝刺觀光，這下旅客都不來，直呼老天爺開了大玩笑。

[[花蓮將軍府1936園區創辦人任聿新]]
“大部分的業者或是在地的居民都好好的，那可是我覺得觀光客的信心，這一點確實是真正最嚴重的考驗”

震後過了2個多月，本該是旅遊旺季的端午連假，旅客在網路上，預訂行程的數量，嚴重衰退8成，餐飲營業額也比去年大減47%，連帶台東也受到影響，減少33%。就怕觀光收入銳減，衝擊居民生計與經濟，在地青年與顧問公司合作，一起想辦法。

[[花蓮將軍府1936園區創辦人任聿新]]
“事實上花蓮也不是只有太魯閣，一直以來就有很多的，地方的體驗型活動，比如說很棒的海洋活動，賞鯨、泛舟、獨木舟、SUP，然後原住民部落的文化體驗，那我覺得趁這個機會，讓大家重新認識不同的花蓮”

[[智慧餐飲科技領導品牌共同創辦人程開佑]]
“鼓勵當地的餐飲業者，跟體驗業者打包，一起上架體驗的平台，那能夠爭取更多政府補助，以及讓更多人看到。開啟能夠支援英文的線上訂位，是非常重要的，因為其實外國的遊客進來台灣，在今年度依然非常強勁”

花蓮居民6成從事觀光業，在地青年積極推廣觀光，希望讓旅客有信心，在暑假時多來花蓮玩。

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