As a bed and breakfast owner in Taiwan’s Hualien County, Chen Rei-jia was used to the minor tremors that sometimes disturbed her work. But this time, something felt different.
“The shaking grew stronger and lasted longer, and as rescue vehicles arrived, I became frightened,” she said. “We heard rocks falling in every single place and saw smoke and dirt throughout. There have been massive landslides in front and behind us.”
Emerging from her house to survey the damage, Chen had just survived the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan on April 3 — the biggest tremblor to rock the island in 25 years.
“I’ve never experienced such a robust earthquake in my life. It was truly terrifying,” the 60-year-old said.
Chen Rei-jia, a bed and breakfast owner in Hualien County, Taiwan.
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
Now, survivors like Chen are facing a latest challenge. Tourists have canceled their trips en masse, and tour groups have disappeared.
For a lot of residents of Hualien, which relies on tourism for 70% of its economy, the situation is quickly becoming an existential threat.
“It’s dire; there are not any tourists,” said Chen. “Everyone seems to be too scared to come back.”
Empty restaurants and cancelled bookings
The brunt of the earthquake’s damage occured in Hualien County, which attracts thousands and thousands of tourists per 12 months to the towering peaks and waterfalls of its foremost draw, Taroko Gorge.
But now the previously packed mountain roads and walking paths to the gorge at the moment are blocked with rubble, and vast swaths of Taroko National Park remain closed.
A girl named Lai, who owns a restaurant near the doorway to the gorge, said her once full restaurant now sits empty.
“We actually hope the national park can reopen, but when it doesn’t, there’s nothing we are able to do,” she said. “It appears like there is no end in sight.”
Lai owns a restaurant near Taroko Gorge. “It appears like there is no end in sight.”
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
Damage to the world also presents an issue for local tour guides like Liang Shiun-chu.
“Our usual tour package focuses on Taroko,” he explained. “Because the earthquake, all our bookings were canceled.”
The variety of visits to Hualien’s scenic spots have dropped by 85% since last 12 months, in line with local officials. Liang explained that some guides like him now work as taxi drivers and are finding it hard to make ends meet.
Tour guide Liang Shiun-chu is driving a taxi to make ends meet. “Because the earthquake, all our bookings were canceled.”
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
“Business is right down to 30%-50% of what it was,” he said. “Many friends have left Hualien to work elsewhere because it’s totally tough for our industry here. I’ve considered moving to a different county too.”
These trends are reflected across different tourism sectors, with the Hualien Hotel Association reporting that post-quake occupancy levels fell to only 5% — an statement echoed by Howard Yeh, the manager of a neighborhood hostel.
Howard Yeh, the manager of a neighborhood hostel. “We just should hold on and keep waiting.”
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
“Around 90% of foreign visitors to Hualien come specifically for Taroko Gorge. With this key attraction temporarily closed, Hualien loses much of its appeal for tourists,” he said. “We just should hold on and keep waiting.”
Despite the hopes of Hualien’s residents, local officials estimate that a return to pre-quake tourism levels could take years.
“It would take five to 10 years for full recovery,” Chang Chih-hsiang, director general of Hualien’s tourism department, told CNBC Travel.
Difficulty getting in
To hurry up the recovery process, Taiwan’s local and national governments have introduced programs to support local businesses and encourage visitors to return. The federal government is guaranteeing loans and subsidizing rates of interest for local businesses who need loans.
From July, visitors to Hualien County will even be eligible to receive as much as $1,000 Recent Taiwan dollars ($31) in accommodation subsidies, with tour agencies receiving as much as NT$20,000 ($618).
Chang Chih-hsiang, head of Hualien’s tourism office, estimates the world’s tourism industry could take five to 10 years to completely get well.
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
Despite this, locals worry these measures might not be enough. Stephanie Zhang, the pinnacle of the Hualien Hotel Association, said her organization predicts, in a best-case scenario, that hotel occupancy levels will return to 40-50% this summer.
Continuing news coverage concerning the quake, social media clips of collapsed buildings and the some 1,500 aftershocks which have hit Taiwan for the reason that initial quake have not helped restore traveler confidence.
Even when visitors desired to visit Hualien, accessing the county is harder than before. Some 70% of tourists reach Hualien from northern Taiwan, explained Chang however the quake damaged the road that connects the town to Taipei.
The road still functions at specific times of day, and the county continues to be accessible via train and plane, however the damage has taken a toll.
Hualien’s tourism office is working to revive the town and promote Hualien as a secure tourist destination, said Chen.
“If we don’t reverse this trend and rebuild tourists’ confidence in Hualien, the loss is estimated to be around NT$15 billion by the tip of the 12 months,” he said.
Wide repercussions
The consequences of the earthquake have reverberated far beyond Hualien’s tourism sector. “Tourism is the lifeblood of Hualien,” explained Chang.
When the tourism industry suffers, so does the remaining of the region.
Markets, which often serve locals, are suffering because locals aren’t creating wealth, explained a market vendor Cheng Wen-zhong. “If tourists don’t come, our business suffers significantly.” Lin Ya-mi, a fish vendor on the town’s wet market, said business had dropped by two-thirds.
Lin Ya-mi, a fish vendor at a Hualien wet market.
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
Despite that, Hualien’s residents hope that tourists will soon come back, in order that life can return to normal.
Standing in her empty restaurant at the doorway to Taroko Gorge, Lai Sui-er explained that she still has faith in the long run.
“If things don’t work out here, we’ll look elsewhere. And if that also doesn’t work, we’ll find jobs. Irrespective of how much we earn, so long as we are able to make a living, we are able to manage by being frugal,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
“There may be hope,” she said. “We’ll discover a way.”
