Reported by Li Zeng-Wang / County Government
Following the first panel discussion on June 19th, the Kinmen County Government organized the second Kinmen County Tourism Industry Panel Discussion, in which the participation of local tourism, specialty, and hospitality business owners was invited. Kinmen County Magistrate Chen Fu-Hai had a face-to-face discussion with the attending business owners and listened to their opinions and suggestions about tourism development in Kinmen in an attempt to find problems and strategies about tourism development in Kinmen and revive the tourism industry in Kinmen.
Magistrate Chen stated that in order to improve tourism in Kinmen, we must reflect on our failure and come up with effective strategies in the future; business owners should also avoid vicious competition and improve their operations. The County Government should immediately carry out all the short-term plans in terms of the environment for tourism. Moreover, the Tourism Department will set up a tourism development promotion committee in one month to promote tourism development in Kinmen.
The Kinmen County Tourism Industry Panel Discussion, held at the Press Room of the County Hall yesterday, began with the Tourism Department’s explanation on the tourism system of Kinmen.
Senior Executive Officer Wong Zih-Bao said that according to statistics by the County Government, the business owners presented a total of 31 proposals during the first tourism industry panel discussion on June 19th, and the County Government will follow up with all of the proposals. Moreover, it relies on the commitment of every person engaging in tourism businesses to promote tourism development in Kinmen.
Magistrate Chen then had a discussion with the business owners. He stressed that as long as the ideas that business owners have do not violate laws, the government is willing to provide funds to help them turn their ideas into reality. In regard to the opinions of business owners in Little Kinmen and people who run specialty and hospitality businesses, Magistrate Chen stressed that people encounter difficulties everywhere, and that he is willing to find time to discuss how to solve operational problems with people working for tourism and hospitality businesses in the Lieyu area. Specific policies and brands are required in Little Kinmen in order to simulate tourism. The Tourism Department will also arrange face-to-face communication with other business owners to listen to their opinions.
Magistrate Chen also shared his experience in public administration. He pointed out that Kinmen faces infrastructure problems such as water and power shortages in the course of its development. To provide residents with water of good quality, 15,000 tons of groundwater are pumped out in the western area of Kinmen Island on a daily basis. It is because Kinmen is blessed with water resources underneath the granite that Kaoliang wine with a rich mouthfeel and high quality can be brewed. It will be unlikely to produce such good wine if Kinmen runs out of groundwater one day.
Magistrate Chen stressed that water resources are a critical issue in Kinmen. Every raindrop from the sky must be conserved on the islands. He also talked to the central government about water resources development in Kinmen, and the central government allocated nearly NT$1.6 billion for Kinmen to complete water resources and environment projects. He added that Kinmen has imported water from China to Tianpu Reservoir, which will ensure water supply for the next thirty years. The water imported is of better quality than that of the current water resources and even the water from Feitsui Reservoir. The County Government will spend the next three years resolving the long-term water crisis in Kinmen. As for the power infrastructure in Kinmen, the County Government has obtained support from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Taiwan Power Company and amended environmental laws. NT$2.5 billion has been invested to install two more generating sets in Tashan Power Plant. The installation project commenced last October, and the two generating sets will be put into operation next May and August, respectively. These two generating sets will help eliminate the power shortage for the next ten years, which is beneficial to the economic development and prosperity of Kinmen.
Magistrate Chen further stated that road infrastructure is crucial to the development of Kinmen. All the previous magistrates wanted to carry out road infrastructure projects, but they encountered difficulties in acquiring land for roads. It was mainly because residents preferred land to money. Therefore, Magistrate Chen said that when carrying out road widening or improvement projects, the County Government will negotiate with residents or rent the land for roads so that the development of Kinmen will no longer be just a dream, and more and more roads will be widened in the future.
Tourism, hospitality, and specialty business owners enthusiastically participated in the panel discussion and provided a lot of suggestions. For example, the tourism authority cannot ignore business owners’ inquiries about related affairs; the gun drill demonstrations carried out at Shishan (Mt. Lion) Howitzer Front should be improved; more elaborate plans are required for tourism; guidance should be provided to help illegal hostels complete registration and operate; appropriate and significant tourism investments are required; the tourism in Kinmen needs to be more sustainable and attractive; networks should be established to create complementary effects in the tourism industry; a simple mechanism is needed to satisfy the needs of overstaying visitors for food, lodging, and transportation; the level of sporting events to be held should increase to attract people to travel and shop in Kinmen; the hostels in Little Kinmen face unfair competition until the bridge is constructed; the labor shortage issue faced by the industry should be resolved; Kinmen needs to make a giant leap; large activities should be launched at night; tourism promotion events should be organized every quarter to attract tourists; the progress of the micro-enterprise park construction project should be announced; there should be recreational facilities on the sea for visitors because of the golden coast and beach in Kinmen; fake landmine challenges may be held as battlefield-themed activities; there may be frogmen drill performances and militia performances; battlefield facilities may be constructed in the tunnels to create immersive experiences; the activities to be organized should be suitable and have special features; advance publicity is required for large activities; importance should be placed on attracting foreign visitors to Kinmen; international marketing and increase of visibility are essential; a friendly English-speaking environment should be created; training should be provided for guides who speak foreign languages; tourism big data should be collected, and strategies should be made affable; horizontal and vertical integration is relatively important; news releases related to tourism should be correct; city marketing should be enhanced; cooperation should be engaged with the Tourism Bureau to market and promote tourism; efforts should be made to attract non-residents to take wedding photos and travel in Kinmen; veterans may be encouraged to revisit Kinmen and embark on a trip of remembrance; the signs and warning signs on Jiangong Islet should be clearer; opportunities may be provided for rising tide parties and overnight stay on Jiangong Islet; military song flash mobs and creativity competitions may be held; and music competitions for people across the Strait may be organized.
While responding to the suggestions proposed by the business owners, Magistrate Chen thanked the tourism businesses for stimulating the tourism development in Kinmen. He stressed that the panel discussion with the tourism businesses would not be in vain, and the County Government will take concrete actions. Short-term plans that should be immediately carried out and may achieve tangible results should be proposed through the penal discussion. He also encouraged everyone to brainstorm mid-term and long-term plans. Magistrate Chen stressed that the tourism industry must be improved, revived, and developed in order to make Kinmen a better place. If the tourism industry grows, all the other industries will also experience growth, and the Kinmen dream will be realized.
Magistrate Chen also questioned why Kinmen cannot do it if Penghu can. Penghu can do it because it has creativity and the support of the Tourism Bureau although its tourism budget is less than NT$100 million. The County Government will gradually increase its interaction and cooperation with the Kinmen National Park and help the National Park achieve what it won’t do. For example, more than NT$70 million has been invested to develop Shuangli Lake at Guningtou into a better waterfront park and scenic spot.