The Tourism Bureau yesterday released the details of its fall and winter domestic travel subsidy program, which is expected to generate more than NT$25.6 billion (US$821 million) for the tourism industry.
The announcement came one day after Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said that the Executive Yuan would budget NT$3.6 billion for the program in response to China’s suspension of a program that allowed individual tourists from 47 cities to travel to Taiwan, which took effect yesterday.
The move was a tactic to interfere in the presidential election in January next year, Lin said.
Tourism operators estimated that it could result in a loss of 500,000 to 700,000 tourists from China in the next six months.
The bureau said its winter and spring travel subsidy programs last year boosted the hotel occupancy rate and proved effective in encouraging more people to travel in Taiwan.
The bureau said that this year it would subsidize tour groups as well as individuals.
For tour groups visiting any one of the towns recommended by the bureau, each member would receive up to NT$500 per day.
The subsidy for each group, which must consist of at least 10 people, would be capped at NT$30,000. Each travel agency can have no more than 20 tour groups subsidized by the government.
However, if a tour group books star-rated hotels, visits farms or factories that are open to tourists, or has travelers who are 60 or older, the subsidy for each group would be capped at NT$50,000, provided that there are more than 15 people in the group.
For tour groups visiting the nation’s outlying islands or traveling for more than two days, each person would be given NT$1,000 per day. The total subsidy for each tour group would be capped at NT$70,000.
Individuals traveling without a tour group would receive NT$1,000 per hotel room, provided they are traveling between Sunday and Friday. Each person would be able use the benefit one time.
However, if they are traveling to the outlying islands, they can use the benefit two times on any day of the week.
Children under 12 would be able to visit an amusement park once free of charge, as the bureau would offer a subsidy of NT$350, with the amusement park operator making up the difference.
The program would spend NT$50 million to sponsor promotional events organized by travel associations and amusement parks, but the fund for each event would be capped at NT$1 million.
The program is to run from Sept. 1 through Dec. 31, the bureau said.
The program is estimated to motivate about 7.68 million people to travel in the nation, which would generate NT$25.6 billion in tourism benefits, it said.
Of the NT$3.6 billion to fund the program, NT$1.8 billion would come from the Tourism Development Fund and the rest would be provided by the Executive Yuan, the bureau said.
It is the largest travel subsidy the Tourism Bureau has ever offered.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by