Chapter 6 Evaluation of the Qingquan Scenic Area Project
6.1 A Lack of Citizen Participation in Urban Planning Led to the Problems
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Chapter 6 Evaluation of the Qingquan Scenic Area Project
The purposes of this chapter are to answer the third research question, and thereby to understand the opinions and evaluations of the local residents and government departments of the outcome of the Second Overall Review of the Qingquan Scenic Area Project. A further goal is to identify problems in the project concerning the lack of citizen participation.
6.1 A Lack of Citizen Participation in Urban Planning Led to the Problems
From the minutes of meetings and interview content, the author intends to understand how the lack of citizen participation in the project resulted in problems, and to provide direction to eliminate these problems.
1. The direction of the Qingquan Scenic Area Project did not include regional characteristics and indigenous culture.
Tourism development policies of the Qingquan Scenic Area are planned by the Tourism Bureau of Hsinchu County which has chosen three tourism themes for Qingquan: hot springs, Chang Syue-Liang's Former Residence, and the natural scenery. The Hsinchu County Tourism Bureau originally planned for Chang Syue-Liang's Former Residence to be the main attraction because they thought it would attract tourists back to Qingquan after Typhoon Aere.
We had this idea of Chang Syue-Liang's Former Residence mainly because Typhoon Aere caused serious damage to the local economy.
If tourists do not come, the local residents can’t survive. So, the
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government wanted to use some cultural attractions to attract tourists back to Qingquan. That’s why they came up with the idea of the Chang Syue-Liang Residence. In fact, tourism should create something unique. Otherwise, so many scenic spots in Taiwan now, if there is not a very distinctive part, then it would not attract tourists.
(Interviewee G1)
Hsinchu County Tourism Bureau and the Urban Planning Committee developed the tourism development policy of Qingquan. Because of the limited citizen participation, they were able to plan the project only from an outsider’s point of view.
Therefore, the direction of the project was not closely integrated with the local indigenous culture. Although the completion of Chang Syue-Liang's Former Residence brought in a large number of tourists, the only impressions of Qingquan that visitors carried with them when they left were of Chang Syue-Liang's Former Residence and the hot springs. They did not have deeper experiences of the local aboriginal culture.
I have had several groups of guests, and many guests find it a pity that they can’t really experience the culture of our local tribe. They wonder about the relevance of Chang Syue-Liang's Former Residence to local Atayal culture. (Interviewee L1)
Local residents also believe that although some of the infrastructure of the village has been improved since the typhoon, the substance of Atayal culture has not been regarded as a characteristic to promote.
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I do not think the township has done enough to assist the residents in planning the Qingquan Scenic Area Project. Because the government funds came in, of course Qingquan has become better.
However, I think this is only the infrastructure. The implications of the local Atayal Culture were not really being promoted; I think this part is very unfortunate. (Interviewee R1)
2. The project cannot effectively increase or create local employment opportunities.
The business model of the Qingquan Scenic Area has long been based on street vendors and snack bars. When the number of visitors increased, demand naturally increased, as well. The business model of Qingquan has also long been dominated by individuals, so only some of the residents benefited from the increase in tourism, such as vendors, snack bars, and the spa industry.
Under the promotion of themed tourism by the Hsinchu County Government, visitors visited only certain famous scenic spots in Qingquan, such as Chang Syue-Liang's Former Residence, the house of San Mao, and Taoshan Elementary School. Tourists did not really walk into the tribal village and experience the local ecology and culture, so they could not promote the tribe’s economic development effectively. In such circumstances, the most direct way for some residents to make a living was to sell some agricultural products, handicrafts, and snacks in front of Chang Syue-Liang's Former Residence. The majority of residents did not gain much benefit from the increasing number of tourists.
Without citizen participation in urban planning and tourism planning, the planners cannot understand the residents’ perspectives and thereby effectively increase residents’ benefits. In the interview, residents suggested other ways to
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promote tourism and increase the benefit to residents.
For example, we could help visitors plan a two-night trip, or the itinerary for a day trip. Such an itinerary could include tours, music and dance, DIY, tribal hunting, and so on. These trips could be a combination of tribal culture, and many villagers could profit from them. (Interviewee L1)
The president of the Qingquan Tribal Development Association also believes that there are many talented guides in the tribe, but they have not been organized and utilized.
We have cultivated a number of tribal guides, so I thought about how to turn these people into a community organization. We should let visitors know about these guides, and help them to contact them.
(Interviewee L1)
3. The project failed to improve the quality of tourism in Qingquan and retain visitors.
Tourism policy should be adjusted with the tourism industry, but also needs to meet the needs of tourists. With the progress of social and economic environment, the content of tourism activities can be divided into three distinct styles: cursory, deep travel, and moving experiences. In the cursory style, tourists visit each tourism destination quickly. As long as food hygiene and safety meet basic standards, they will be able to meet demands.
With more frequent travel, the phenomenon of deep travel appears. In this style
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of tourism, the travelers are able to control their own schedules, and they enjoy in-depth observation of a place. The third style is the moving experience. Those who enjoy this style have a heavy workload and a lack of freedom. As a result, they want to experience a change in scenery and get away from the pressures of work.
The Qingquan Scenic Area Project is controlled by the Hsinchu County Tourism Bureau and the Urban Planning Committee. Because the government departments did not discuss the project with the residents, they focused only on the public facilities and three tourism spots. Many areas that needed to be improved, such as the quality of travel lodges, street planning, and the environment of Qingquan, were not perceived by the planners. Apart from the three famous sites, the rest of Qingquan did not improve in terms of the quality of tourism, so it does not attract tourist. The end result is that the tourists can only make cursory visits to the three famous spots. Unable to engage in deep travel, they leave.