As a B&B owner in Hualien County, Taiwan, Chen Ruijia is used to the slight vibrations that sometimes interfere with her work. But this time, something feels different.
“The shaking got stronger and lasted longer and by the time the rescue vehicles arrived, I was scared,” she said. “We heard rocks falling everywhere and saw smoke and dust all around. There were massive landslides in front of and behind us.”
On April 3, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck Taiwan, the worst earthquake in Taiwan in 25 years. Ms. Chen had just survived when she came out of her home to check on the damage.
“I have never experienced such a strong earthquake in my life. It’s really scary,” the 60-year-old said.
Chen Ruijia is a B&B owner in Hualien County, Taiwan.
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
Now, survivors like Chen face new challenges. Tourists are canceling trips and tour groups are disappearing.
The situation is quickly becoming an existential threat for residents of Hualien, where 70% of the economy relies on tourism.
“It’s too bad there are no tourists,” Chen said. “Everyone is too scared to come.”
Empty restaurants and canceled reservations
Hualien County, which bore the brunt of the quake, attracts millions of tourists each year to its main attraction, the towering peaks and waterfalls of the Taroko Gorge.
But now, previously crowded mountain roads and trails leading into canyons are now clogged with debris, and large swaths of Taroko National Park remain closed.
A woman named Lai, who owns a restaurant near the canyon entrance, said her once-full restaurant was now empty.
“We really hope the national parks can reopen, but if they don’t, there’s nothing we can do,” she said. “It feels like there’s no end in sight.”
Lai owns a restaurant near Taroko Gorge. “It feels like there’s no end in sight.”
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
The destruction of the area has also created problems for local tour guides such as Yang Se-joo.
“Our usual tour packages focus on Taroko,” he explains. “After the earthquake, all our reservations were cancelled.”
According to local officials in Hualien, the number of tourists in Hualien scenic spots has dropped by 85% since last year. Mr. Liang explained that some tour guides like him now work as taxi drivers and find it difficult to make ends meet.
Tour guide Yang Se-joo makes a living by driving a taxi. “After the earthquake, all our reservations were cancelled.”
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
“Business volume has dropped to 30%-50% of the previous level,” he said. “Many friends have left Hualien to work elsewhere because our industry here is very difficult. I have also considered moving to another county.”
These trends are reflected in different sectors of the tourism industry, with the Hualien Hotel Association reporting that occupancy dropped to just 5% after the earthquake—an observation echoed by Howard Yeh, a local hotel manager.
Howard Yeh, manager of a local hotel. “We just have to hold on and wait.”
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
“About 90% of foreign tourists who come to Hualien specifically go to Taroko Gorge. With this major attraction temporarily closed, Hualien has lost a lot of appeal to tourists,” he said. “We just have to hold on and wait.”
Despite the hopes of Hualien residents, local officials estimate it could take years for tourism to return to pre-earthquake levels.
“Full recovery may take five to 10 years,” Zhang Zhixiang, director of the Hualien City Tourism Bureau, told CNBC Travel Channel.
Difficulty of entry
To speed up the recovery process, Taiwan’s local and central governments have launched plans to support local businesses and encourage tourists to return home. The government provides loan guarantees and interest rate subsidies to local businesses in need of loans.
From July, visitors to Hualien County will also be eligible for accommodation subsidies of up to NT$1,000 (US$31), and travel agencies can receive accommodation subsidies of up to NT$20,000 (US$618).
Zhang Zhixiang, director of the Hualien City Tourism Bureau, estimated it could take five to ten years for the region’s tourism industry to fully recover.
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
Still, locals worry the measures may not be enough. Stephanie Zhang, president of the Hualien Hotel Industry Association, said the association predicts that under the best-case scenario, hotel occupancy rates will return to 40-50% this summer.
Ongoing news coverage of the quake, social media footage of collapsing buildings and some 1,500 aftershocks in Taiwan since the initial quake have done little to restore tourist confidence.
Even if tourists want to go to Hualien, entering the county is more difficult than before. Zhang explained that about 70% of tourists arrive in Hualien from northern Taiwan, but the earthquake damaged the road connecting the city to Taipei.
The road still operates at certain times of the day and the county is still accessible by train and plane, but the damage has taken its toll.
Chen said the Hualien City Tourism Bureau is working hard to restore the city and promote Hualien as a safe tourist destination.
“If this trend is not reversed and tourists’ confidence in Hualien is restored, losses are expected to reach approximately NT$15 billion by the end of the year,” he said.
wide impact
The earthquake’s impact extends far beyond Hualien’s tourism industry. “Tourism is the lifeblood of Hualien,” Zhang explained.
When tourism suffers, so does the rest of the region.
Market vendor Cheng Wenzhong explained that the market, which usually serves locals, is suffering because locals are not making money. “If tourists don’t come, our business will be seriously affected.” Lin Yamei, a fishmonger at the town’s wet market, said business volume has dropped by two-thirds.
Lin Yamei, a fishmonger at the Hualien wet market.
Source: Jan Camenzind Broomby
Still, Hualien residents hope tourists will return soon and life can return to normal.
Standing in an empty restaurant at the entrance to Taroko Gorge, Lai Suier explained that she remains confident about the future.
“If it doesn’t work here, we’ll look elsewhere. If it still doesn’t work, we’ll find a job. No matter how much money we make, as long as we can support ourselves, we’ll be able to get by. Frugal,” she said, wiping tears from her eyes. .
“There is hope,” she said. “We’ll find a way.”
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