Taiwan massage parlour struggles as coronavirus cripples tourism
By Ann WangPosted on
An empty massage room is seen as Taiwan’s entry restrictions to foreign travellers due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to affect the tourism reliant massage business in Taipei
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TAIPEI (Reuters) – With Taiwan’s borders closed to tourists as part of coronavirus controls, the staff at Taipei’s Dynasty massage parlour have little to do all day but pace the floors, the number of clients collapsing from around 600 a day to just one or two.
“Now after we come in, we see the lobby is so empty, and we don’t see any customers. The only thing we can do to pass the time is walk around the lobby. What can we do? There are no customers. It makes my head hurt,” said employee Huang Mei-hui.
Taiwan’s tourism industry has boomed in recent years, encouraged by the government to diversify the economy and take advantage of the island’s world-famous food scene, natural beauty and reputation as Asia’s most liberal democracy.
But the pandemic has crippled the industry, even as the government has rolled out subsides and low-interest loans to help the companies most badly affected.
Taiwan has kept the epidemic well under control thanks to early detection and prevention work and a first class public health system, but like many countries has also largely closed its borders to international travel.
That means that for places like Dynasty, which relies on Japanese and South Korean tourists and bills itself as Taipei’s only 24-hour massage parlour, the main source of income has practically vanished.
“Just after the outbreak happened, our business went to zero, because we went from having 600 customers per day to one or two at most. As for our staff, they had to go and find other income, but there is basically no business for this industry,” said deputy general manager Wang Zhe-qian.
Her colleague Huang wistfully remembers when they were so busy she would secretly pray no more people show up and she could barely find time to eat.
Now, she worries about her future.
“I’m 64 years old and I’ve been working here for 16 years. I’m old now and won’t be able to find other jobs.”
(Reporting by Ann Wang; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
Masseurs gather around massage chairs to chat while waiting for customers in Taipei
Masseurs watch TV while lying on massage chairs as they wait for customers in Taipei
A staff watches a TV broadcast of daily updates on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) from Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention while waiting for customers at the break room of a massage parlour in Taipei
A customer receives a massage in Taipei
A masseur uses her phone while resting in her bed at the dorm area of a massage parlour in Taipei
A staff sits at the entrance of a massage parlour while waiting for customers in Taipei
Staff of a massage parlour, without customers to attend to, play mahjong in their break room as Taiwan’s entry restrictions to foreign travellers due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to affect the tourism reliant massage business in Taipei
A staff shows hotel passes for drivers at a massage parlour that targets foreign tour groups in Taipei
Massage equipment are seen in a room as Taiwan’s entry restrictions to foreign travellers due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to affect the tourism reliant massage business in Taipei
Deputy general manager Wang Zhe Qian, 64, opens the door to an empty massage room as Taiwan’s entry restrictions to foreign travellers due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to affect business at Dynasty massage parlour in Taipei
An empty massage room is seen as Taiwan’s entry restrictions to foreign travellers due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continue to affect the tourism reliant massage business in Taipei
A person wearing a face mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) walks past Dynasty massage parlour in Taipei
A cut-out figure of a Japanese actor is displayed at the entrance of a massage parlour that targets foreign tour groups in Taipei
Shelves where masseurs store their personal belongings are seen inside a massage parlour in Taipei
An empty massage room is seen as Taiwan’s entry restrictions to foreign travellers due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to affect the tourism reliant massage business in Taipei
