Tourist hotels post record-high revenues in 2012

Revenues at the tourist hotels — the 108 hotels that are regulated by the Tourism Bureau — rose 4.82 percent last year to over NT$52.5 billion (US$1.7 billion), according to bureau figures.

Also on the rise was the number of nights foreign nationals stayed at the elite hotels, increasing by 504,235, or 4.83 percent.

Growth in the two indicators lagged behind the 20.1-percent surge in total foreign visitor arrivals last year, in part because the Chinese tourists that sparked much of the surge generally stayed in less expensive business hotels, the bureau said.

The limited number of hotel rooms in the sector also capped revenue and guest growth in 2012.

The Tourism Bureau has actively promoted travel in Taiwan in a push to get more people to visit, hoping to attract 10 million foreign visitors to Taiwan in 2016, up from a record 7.3 million in 2012.

But the bureau is also seeking to improve quality, at least at the hotels it oversees.

“We will focus on the regulation side to motivate hoteliers to improve their service quality,” said bureau official Yang Shih-yi.

Yang was referring to the hotel rating system introduced since 2010 that is aimed at helping international travelers find accommodation that conforms to international rating standards.

Hotel operators may find it in their interest to renovate facilities and upgrade services in order to get higher rankings, Yang explained.

Currently, 70 percent of Taiwan's 108 tourist hotels participate in the program, which Yang said needs to be more widely promoted.

Chen Chin-lang, who oversees travel quality for Chinese tourist groups at the Travel Quality Assurance Association, agreed with Yang on the need for an overall quality upgrade in the country's tourism sector.

Chen said most complaints from Chinese visitors, who accounted for more than a third, or 2.5 million, of Taiwan's foreign visitors last year, were related to quality issues.

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