Tourism is a vital industry to the city and county of Hualien in eastern Taiwan, which was struck by a deadly magnitude-6.5 earthquake last week. And although most of the infrastructure and services are unaffected or restored, tourist arrivals have plummeted. Coming ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, it's a big worry for those who rely on tourism for their livelihoods. Rian Maelzer tells us more.

The Taroko Gorge spectacular scenery forged by seismic upheaval. Those same seismic forces have now driven away the tourists who would usually be thronging this place, about half an hour outside Hualien city. They come to see the wildlife, the cliffs and turquoise ocean and dramatic rock formations, as well aborginal culture. Some, though, have decided to push ahead with their holidays here having already booked their flights and hotels.

YANG FAMILY TOURISTS FROM GUANGDONG "We're fine about it. It's just last night when we were at the hotel we were a little bit afraid. The old people didn't sleep well. We all felt aftershocks."

But it's clear from the absence of tour buses and crowds here and at Hualiens' night market that tourism has taken a serious hit.

RIAN MAELZER TAROKO GORGE, HUALIEN COUNTY "People in the hospitality industry blame sensationalistic reporting by the local media for scaring away tourists. They say the reports have made it seem as if the whole of Hualien is some kind of disaster zone."

LO LI-PING TRAVEL AGENT "In fact the earthquake did not affect Hualien so much. All the tourist attractions are intact, and there are just a few buildings that are affected. Its' such a shame if some misleading reports are affecting tourism." 

While the gorge was completely unaffected and the city of Hualien has bounced back rapidly from the quake, it will take longer for tourism industry to recover.

PO HUANG HOTEL MARKETING SUPERVISOR "What we worry about is that the impact of an earthquake is not like a typhoon. A typhoon affects tourism and business for three to four days. The impact of an earthquake can last half a year, a year, even longer."

People here say what would help Hualien the most in the aftermath of the quake is for the tourists to return as soon as possible. Rian Maelzer, CGTN, Hualien, Taiwan.