The Tourism Bureau's plan to make the high speed rail a selling point was met with nonchalance by the Taiwan High Speed Rail Co (THSRC), as the company has asked the bureau to pay NT$1 million (US$31,250) a year for promotional signboards featuring the nation's railway tours to be placed within the high speed rail stations.
Turning to the TRA
Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai (
"It [the THSRC] is not tourist-friendly enough," Lai said, adding that the bureau's marketing strategy for the moment for the high speed rail was to focus on pre-arranged group tours rather than tours for individuals.
Lai made the remarks after briefing legislators serving on the legislature's Transportation Committee yesterday.
Japanese tourists
It was believed that the launch of the high speed train in January would attract many Japanese tourists who would come to ride on what they perceive as Taiwan's Shinkansen system.
To encourage more Japanese tourists to visit, the bureau has planned to invite 300 Japanese tourism representatives to join a free high speed rail tour of the nation, where the itinerary will be arranged by a local travel agency.
The bureau said that domestic airlines have also agreed to provide free flights for all the tour's participants.
Meanwhile, the bureau was hoping it could place promotional signboards -- each 4m2 -- in high speed rail stations.
While the THSRC said that it would charge the Tourism Bureau NT$1 million for the advertising arrangement, the TRA only charges the bureau NT$600 a year for signboards of the same size.
Not eager
Lai also said the bureau was not eager to promote the individual high speed rail tours. Most of the high speed rail stations are located in the suburbs, requiring shuttle bus services to carry travelers from the high speed rail stations to their next destination.
She said that the TRA system appears to be a more viable transportation option for travelers on self-arranged tours.
Inadequate shuttles
The inadequate shuttle bus system around the high speed rail stations also became the target of criticism in the question and answer session in the legislature yesterday.
Legislators from central and southern counties have also complained that the high speed rail had caused domestic airline companies to reduce the number of daily flights.
Since the shuttle buses do not run as frequently as they should, travellers often have to ask family members to pick them up at the high speed rail stations, the legislators said.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Tsai Duei (蔡堆) replied that the average occupancy rate of each shuttle bus was low, so it was difficult for the bus operators to expand the route system.
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
RSS