Unfortunately, the tragedy has dampened prospects for the Alishan cherry blossom season, and has set back the government's "Year of the Tourist-Program for Increasing Tourism." This is particularly true for international tour groups, especially those from Japan, which are steering away from tourism in Taiwan because of the lack of safety measures, and heading to other countries.
無庸諱言，此次阿里山森鐵事件，使即將展開的阿里山櫻花季蒙塵，對政府宣示的「觀光元年──觀光客倍增計畫」，也造成重大衝擊，尤其是以日本為主的國際觀光團隊，短期內恐將捨台灣而轉赴他國旅遊。