Survey Finds Foreign Tourists Prefer Kenting|外國客遊台十景點 墾丁最受歡迎!

My favorite? I'm visiting Kenting. I like to play in the water.

The Tourism Bureau recently announced the results of a survey on foreign tourist spending and trends. The results were quite surprisingly, because Kenting National Park finished in first place on the list of most popular scenic spots, beating out Sun Moon Lake, Taroko Gorge, Jiufen and other top attractions. Kenting obtained 31.62 percent of the votes, and was only one of two attractions on the list along with Yehliu Geopark to see growth in visitor numbers. Meanwhile, the National Palace Museum and Taipei's Ximending area finished in the ninth and tenth spots, respectively.

In contrast (to foreign tourists), tourists from northern Taiwan will consider that it takes six to seven hours to get to Kenting from Taipei. However, it only takes a total of three to four hours to travel to Taoyuan International Airport and take a flight to Okinawa in Japan. In other words, the competitors of Taiwan's scenic spots have become similar tourist attractions in neighboring countries. Many of the tourists now are from Southeast Asia, or perhaps from Japan or South Korea. Maybe they don't have the same preference for the National Palace Museum as Chinese tourists.

Ximending, which is located next to Taipei Main Station, is not very popular among foreign tourists. Scholars say although its location is excellent, the youth pop culture that used to be there has faded with the arrival of tourists. Moreover, the streets are congested and the area is not too aesthetically pleasing. They advise the government to tidy up the area to allow the distinguishing characteristics of the commercial district to once again shine.