Taiwan
Taiwan National Palace Museum limits groups amid onslaught of China tourists
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – From June1, groups visiting the National Palace Museum in Taipei will be subject to a new set of restrictions amid complaints about too many tourists from China, the museum announced Thursday.
The world’s largest collection of Chinese art, which has a counterpart in Beijing, has become a popular draw for the increasing numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan.
The surge in Chinese visitors has led to complaints about overcrowding at the museum and inside its souvenir store, while Taiwanese visitors also sometimes feel intimidated by the raucous behavior of some Chinese groups.
The museum, which is managed by the government, announced a set of new rules Thursday.
Each group would have to book a time and audio equipment in advance, with bookings closed off if the number of visitors reached 2,500 for each segment of one and a half hour.
Groups showing up more than 30 minutes behind schedule would no longer be allowed to enter, the museum said, with their visit to be completely canceled. Their place could eventually be taken in by a group which had not booked in advance but which was waiting in line at the museum.
Taiwan signed an agreement with China last June to allow more Chinese tourists to visit the island, but the numbers didn’t start rising significantly until recently.
Transportation Minister Mao Chi-kuo told lawmakers Thursday that the present maximum of 3,000 entries per day was the ideal level to guarantee travel quality. The level peaked at 6,000 as special incentive cruises from China paid highly publicized visits to Taiwan over the past two months, but the numbers dropped off again since, Mao said.
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