Yesterday may have been the first day Chinese tourists could visit Taiwan via direct chartered flights, but who didn't see THIS coming?
“Compared with trips to Europe, where tourists spend US$120 per night on average, several Chinese travel agencies have complained that our charges are too high,” Jack Lin (林健興), manager of the domestic tour department at Southeast Travel Service Co (東南旅行社), said yesterday.
I'm sure it doesn't help your future bargaining position when you offer 'extra-low introductory rates', expecting you'll be able to hike prices later:
Tour packages for the first wave of Chinese visitors to arrive in Taiwan via direct charter flights this weekend are worth 20-30 percent more than the selling prices [which is to say, they were sold 20-30% below cost], travel agencies said Thursday, expressing hopes their generous offers will be rewarded by good business from mainland Chinese tourists in the future.
Rather than generate goodwill, those cut-rates are only going to result in cut-throat bargaining sessions later on. (But you gave my uncle Chow a price that was 30% lower than this only two months ago! And that was during the peak tourism season! Why CAN'T you give me a better price today . . .)
Maybe there's a lesson to be learned here for the Ma administration, regarding its similar eagerness to give away the store to Beijing in exchange for a few ephemeral moments of Sinic bonhomie.
Comments