The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to introduce on July 15 a NT$5.5 billion (US$187.9 million) stimulus program for the travel industry, which has sustained massive losses since the nation’s borders were closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) yesterday met with travel agencies, hoteliers, amusement park operators and tour bus operators to discuss how the stimulus funds should be used to support the tourism industry.
Details of the program are to be finalized on Friday next week.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
Travel Agent Association chairman Hsiao Po-jen (蕭博仁) told reporters after the meeting that participants said they hoped the funds could become available on July 15, instead of September as proposed by the government.
With the ministry agreeing, many travel agencies that have been in “intensive care units” should be able to move to “general wards,” he said.
Hsiao said they also hoped the government would quickly lift the ban on travel agencies organizing inbound and outbound tours, and removing the requirement that foreign tourists must have had at least three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung (張錫聰) said that the ministry has agreed that the stimulus program would be enforced from July 15 to Dec. 15, rather than from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31, and that the funds would apply to independent travelers, tour groups and amusement park visitors.
Independent travelers are to receive subsidies for tours that include days between Sunday and Thursday, Chang said.
The subsidies will be in the amount of NT$800, with an additional bonus subsidy of NT$500 for those who have received three shots of a COVID-19 vaccine, for a total subsidy of NT$1,300 per night.
The hotel must be star-rated, a cyclist-friendly hotel or a bed and breakfast recommended by the Taiwan Host Association.
Each person can apply for the travel subsidy only once, Chang said.
“Domestic travel and cross-border tourism will return to normal once we pass the plateau of the pandemic,” Chang said. “During the transitional period, we are helping hotels and tourists follow the disease prevention guidelines.”
The funding will be distributed on a “first come, first serve” basis, as the budget for the funding is limited, he said.
A group tour can receive up to NT$30,000 if it has more than 15 members, lasts at least three days, hires a guide who does not have an employer or is indigenous, and meets other special conditions specified by the bureau.
People can receive a 70 percent discount on admission fees if they go to an amusement park on a weekday, the bureau said.
Tour bus operators who scored at least a “B” in the annual performance evaluation would be given NT$1,000 to NT$2,000 per day by the Directorate-General of Highways if their buses were hired by travel agencies, with the funding capped at three days, Chang said.
ONE LAST TALK: While Xi said that Taiwan was a ‘red line,’ Biden, in what is likely his last meeting with Xi as president, called for an end to China’s military activity around Taiwan China’s military intimidation and economic coercion against Taiwan are the main causes of tensions that are destabilizing peace in the Taiwan Strait, Taipei said yesterday while thanking US President Joe Biden for expressing Washington’s firm stance of maintaining peace and stability in the region. Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met on Saturday for their third meeting and their first talks in seven months on the sidelines of the APEC forum in Lima, Peru. It was likely Biden’s last meeting as president with Xi. During their conversation, Biden reiterated the US’ opposition to any unilateral change to the “status quo” from either
Taiwan would participate in the 2026 APEC summit to be hosted by China after Beijing promised it would ensure the personal safety of attendees, Taiwanese national security sources said yesterday. The APEC Leaders’ Machu Picchu Declaration announced yesterday said that China would host the APEC summit in 2026. Beijing proposed hosting the summit shortly before this year’s gathering began on Friday, a national security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Many APEC members expressed concerns about China hosting the event and said that prior communication over the decision was insufficient, the official said. Taiwan brought up concerns about legal “guidelines” China announced in
SUPPORT: Arms sales to NATO Plus countries such as Japan, South Korea and Israel only have to be approved by the US Congress if they exceed US$25m The US should amend a law to add Taiwan to the list of “NATO Plus” allies and streamline future arms sales, a US commission said on Tuesday in its annual report to the US Congress. The recommendation was made in the annual report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), which contained chapters on US-China economic and trade ties, security relations, and Taiwan and Hong Kong. In the chapter on Taiwan, the commission urged the US Congress to “amend the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 to include Taiwan on the list of ‘NATO Plus’ recipients,” referring to
Minister of Labor Ho Pei-shan (何佩珊) said she would tender her resignation following criticism of her handling of alleged bullying by Ministry of Labor Workforce Development Agency branch director Hsieh Yi-jung (謝宜容) resulting in the death of an employee. The ministry yesterday gave Hsieh two demerits and said she is subject to review by the Disciplinary Court. The severest possible punishment would be her removal from office and being barred from government jobs indefinitely. Workforce Development Agency Director-General Tsai Meng-liang (蔡孟良) also received a major demerit and was transferred to another position. Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) issued a formal apology
RSS