Expert suggests casinos in Taiwan to boost tourism

Advisor to the travel agent association Kao Ming-tu said Taiwan should lift the ban on casinos to increase international tourism.

Taiwan.- Should the government listen to expert Kao Ming-tu, the casino ban in Taiwan could be lifted as he considered the gaming industry as an alternative to attract international tourism. The advisor to the country’s travel agent association explained that they should consider new ways to boost tourism as the tourism deficit grew in 2017.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau showed that the local tourism deficit totalled €10.4 billion in 2017, as the Taiwanese spent significantly more money abroad than international tourists spent in Taiwan. According to Kao, that trend will continue in the future as cheap flights around the region are appealing to Taiwanese travellers that decide to look abroad, and are expected to spend €21.8 billion on international travel this year, the Liberty Times reported.

However, according to the deputy head of National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism Liu Hsi-lin denied the tourist deficit problem. According to him, the differential between locals going abroad and tourists going into Taiwan are separated markets and even highlighted the number of locals travelling abroad and said it is a sign of national strength.