Are you thinking of going to the worldly paradise of Switzerland to ski?

Or perhaps you'd like to go to Alaska and take a tour of the icy waters in "Love Boat?"

The ancient civilizations of India and Egypt are full of information, and the 1988 Olympic games in Seoul are enough to drive any sports fan wild.

Or perhaps you want to travel and learn a new language at the same time?

Before, people used to be bothered by not being able to find a designated country to travel to. Now, however, the problem that confronts people is deciding upon what form of recreation to engage in.

"Now that restrictions on traveling abroad have been lifted those who haven't been abroad are behind the times," says a travel agent with a smile. People in the R.O.C. expect quality from their travel abroad so the forms of travel and routes are increasing daily. Guidebooks and pamphlets have sprung up everywhere.

Looking back, the development of the overseas tourism industry in the R.O.C. has a history of more than thirty years.

According to statistics of the Tourism Bureau, from 1981 to 1987, Japan, the first stop for R.O.C. citizens traveling abroad, came out first on the travel billboard.

After the sharp increase in the Japanese yen there wasn't a sudden decrease in travel there, the reason being that businesses maintained original prices. Whereas you could once travel for thirteen days at a certain price, now you can only travel eleven days at the same price. Despite the difference everyone still flocks to Japan.

As for the U.S., since there are many students and immigrants from the R.O.C. there, most people used to visit the U.S. under the status of visiting relatives. Now those visiting relatives have increased. Visiting relatives and touring both occupy a large percentage of people from the R.O.C. who go to the U.S., and the number of those who actually go there with the sole purpose of sightseeing is large. Due to the large number of people who fly to the U.S. the airlines give travel agencies rather special treatments. If you go on a tour with a travel agency to the West Coast of the U.S. for twelve days it'll only cost you about NT$50,000, which is much less expensive than traveling alone.

After gaining travel experience, people from the R.O.C. are venturing toward new ways of traveling. This is where traveling with a definite purpose comes in. For example, there are tour groups which feature visits to museums, concerts national parks, and skiing. Some travel agencies even offer special trips to Buddhist temples where various temples are visited and meals consist of vegetarian food.

Over the past ten years it has become common for people to take up studying tourism. If you've got the money, language ability, and more than a one-month vacation then this is a good chance for you to practice your language and get aquatinted with the local customs of the people. For five years there have been more than 2,000 people who have gone to colleges or special training schools in England, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand to study tourism; the future is looking bright.

Since people from the R.O.C. are having more and more opinions about tourism, people in the travel business will have to map out even more ways of traveling to suit the different classes, consumer powers, ages, and interests of consumers.

Outbound Departures of Nationals of the Republic of China, 1981-1987

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A visit to Holland's largest flower market has become an important stop of professionals.

Times Square in New York is known as the crossroads of the world; it's a must for tourists who visit the city. (photo by Vincent Chang)

Viewing the fashions in Italy has become increasingly popular among tourists.

Times Square in New York is known as the crossroads of the world; it's a must for tourists who visit the city. （photo by Vincent Chang）

Viewing the fashions in Italy has become increasingly popular among tourists.