Information from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) indicated that visitor arrivals in package tour totalled 895,000 in March 2014, up by 21% year-on-year. Visitors from Mainland China totalled 698,000, a year-on-year increase of 30%, with 236,000 coming from Guangdong Province; moreover, visitors from Taiwan (62,000) and Hong Kong (35,000) registered year-on-year increase, while those from the Republic of Korea (34,000) recorded decrease. In the first quarter of 2014, visitor arrivals in package tour increased by 10% year-on-year to 2,553,000. Outbound residents using services of travel agencies were 116,000 in March, up by 2% year-on-year; those travelling in package tour totalled 45,000 and the main destinations were Mainland China (75% of total), the Republic of Korea (7%), Taiwan (6%), and Hong Kong (4%). In the first quarter of 2014, outbound residents using services of travel agencies totalled 354,000, similar to that in the same quarter of 2013. There were 99 hotels and guesthouses operating at end-March 2014, providing 28,000 guest rooms, down by 1% year-on-year; the 5-star hotels accounted for 66% of the total supply, with 18,000 rooms. A total of 918,000 guests checked into hotels and guesthouses in March 2014, with 57% staying in 5-star hotels. The average length of stay of guests held stable as March 2013, at 1.4 nights. The average occupancy rate of the hotels and guesthouses increased by 6 percentage points year-on-year to 85%, with 3-star hotels leading at 89%. In the first quarter of 2014, hotel guests totalled 2,624,000, up by 4% year-on-year; the average occupancy rate stood at 86%, an increase of 6 percentage points. In the first quarter of 2014, visitor-guests accounted for 69% of the total overnight visitors, down by 1 percentage point year-on-year.
