Regulations Hinder Village-Based Tourism Industry|觀光立法落後 農村部落旅遊恐違法

It has been 20 years since tourism has slowly developed in local communities and villages. However, as many locally run mini-tours don't have a license, nor a certified guide, it has technically violated the Act for the Development of Tourism. Local governments have been trying for years to legalize the mini-tours to encourage more local tourism growth.


The Longmu community in Kaohsiung City's Dashu District are known for offering short trips that allow tourists to learn how to harvest pineapples and make traditional fermented pineapple bean paste. The community has been developing such trips for six years and has attracted tourists from as far as Mainland China, Hong Kong and Singapore. However, the trips could only be conducted for a day for experience or education purposes.

The local agricultural experts often don't have tour guide licenses. On the other hand, licensed tour guides often has limited knowledge about the agricultural aspects. They don't know about the crop's growing process.

The Kaohsiung City government is promoting the "One-day Farmer" program in order to boost local tourism. The program allows tourists to choose from six local villages, and have attracted over 45,000 travelers in the last six years, bringing in over NT$ 40 million worth in economic benefits. However, the program is hindered by its violation of the Act for the Development of Tourism and has only attracted 21 young workers so far. On other hand, Pingtung County which is well developed in ecology and farming experience tourism, already has 12 communities in its Hengchun Peninsula in addition to its local tribes. With such resources, it should be able to create varied packaged itineraries, but it's also hindered by the Act from further development.

These individual tourists spots are connected, and they allow the tourists to travel through the entire region. However, longer and bigger tour packages require more thorough planning, food, and accommodation. The current Act for the Development of Tourism does not allow local communities to plan larger trips, only professional tour agencies are allowed.

Taiwan begun developing its local communities in 1994, and begun developing ecology related tourism since 2002. Academics believe that the local residents have been hard at work for over 20 years to build up communities that are tourist-friendly, however, the current tourism laws and regulations which stipulate that local villages are to establish tourism agencies and acquire licenses are not conducive to the development of these communities. The academics call on the government to amend the law as soon as possible to rectify the issue. The Tourism Bureau is planning to hold public hearing sessions towards the end of the year to discuss the possible amendment of the Act for the Development of Tourism.