Creating the Effective Public Participation and Relation System for the Taiwan Tourism Administration

Abstract

For many people, the pursuit of happiness and of money are very much the same. More money means more goods and thus more of the material benefits of life. As for the individual, so to for the nation: steady growth in average income means greater well-being and. a happier society. But recently, the goals of economic growth have been increasingly questioned chiefly because of growing awareness of the adverse side effects of growth, such as pollution and congestion (Easterlin, 1913). Taiwan is an example of this situation. For the last two decades, all of the Taiwanese people's energy has been devoted to economic progress, and now Taipei (the capital) is among the most prosperous cities in Asia. However, people are beginning to realize that they still cannot buy happiness with their enormous wealth. Like most developing countries. Taiwan was slow to tackle its environmental problems early in its economic boom. Now, although the people of Taiwan have adequate, nourishing food, fashionable clothing, and modern housing. Taiwan may no longer be a wonderful place to live. It is difficult for 20 million people to live in a degrading natural environment with high population density, cloudy air, dirty water, and sludgy soil. However, both the Taiwan people and government realize the importance of a quality living and working environments. This realization led to the creation of the Taiwan Tourism Administration in 1985 and the Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration in 1987. Taiwan's government changed attitudes and adjusted policies to meet people's needs, with their ultimate goal being the people's happiness. When assessing a government's success, it is necessary to ascertain whether the government attained its policy objectives. This paper addressed the performance of the Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) in providing recreation and leisure opportunities. First, explained why Taiwan citizens have a great need for recreation and leisure opportunities. Next, the organization of the TTA was described, as well as the TTA system's current problems. The purpose of this paper is to suggest a rational administrative system for the TTA. Finally, it is suggested that public perceptions of leisure and happiness be evaluated.