The recent drop in Chinese tourists has been felt most acutely in Hualien and Taitung on the nation’s east coast, with three hotels in Taitung County alone having been forced to shut down operations amid a big slowdown in travelers.Over the three months from May through July this year, the number of Chinese tourists arriving in Taitung was down by 163,000 over the same period last year. Those in the tourism sector are predicting that October will bring another wave of bankruptcies and closures by hotels, restaurants, jewelry stores, and other businesses dependent on customers from abroad.
