More than 10,000 Taiwan tourism operators and workers took to the streets in Taipei on Monday demanding the island's government take steps to revive the industry, which has been hit hard by a sharp drop in the number of tourists from the mainland.

Mainland visitors were the driving force for a tourism boom under former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou's administration. But since the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party chief Tsai Ing-wen took office as the island's leader in May, the number of mainland tourists to Taiwan has fallen more than 20 percent, causing the island's tourism industry to slump.

The deadly bus fire in July that killed an entire tour group from the mainland sent chills down the spines of potential visitors from across the Straits, as the police investigation found a suicidal driver intentionally set the vehicle on fire.