The Travel Agent Association (TAA) said yesterday it would hold a rally in Taipei next month to protest against government measures to bail out financially troubled travel agencies, which it said had been ineffective in helping the nation’s sagging travel environment.
The association made the announcement following its assembly meeting yesterday afternoon.
TAA members voted unanimously to take their appeal to the streets on Aug. 15, association chairman Yao Ta-kuang (姚大光) said.
“Even though the Tourism Bureau has offered subsidies to cover interest accrued on loans, the fact is only about 20 travel agencies received the loans and very few firms have benefited from the policy,” Yao said.
In response, Tourism Bureau Director-General Janice Lai (賴瑟珍) said staging a protest would not solve the problem.
Lai said travel agencies were the only businesses that had received government subsidies to cover loan interest — a measure that the Council for Economic Planning and Development had opposed.
“Whether a travel agent can secure loans depends on the banks,” Lai said.
She said the bureau may consider providing cash to the travel agencies more quickly after it has discussed the matter with the banks.
“Banks will expand the credit line to travel agents,” Lai said. “However, we have to consider if it actually helps those in need or just creates bigger problems in the future.”
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
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