The Tourism Bureau yesterday rolled out new incentives to attract tourists from nations targeted by the government’s “new southbound policy,” after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs further relaxed visa requirements for people from some Asia and Southeast Asia nations.
Bureau of Consular Affairs Director Deneral Agnes Chen (陳華玉) said that since August last year the ministry has waived visas for Thais and Bruneians.
Although the program is a trial, Chen said that it has already contributed to significant growth in visitor numbers from both countries.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The ministry has extended the visa-waiver program for both for another year, Chen said, adding that the program is to expire on July 31 next year.
Chen said that the Philippines is to be included in the program this year, for one year.
Indian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Burmese, Cambodian and Laotian tourists can apply for a Taiwan travel authorization certificate online, Chen said.
Such requirements are to apply to visitors from Southeast Asian countries who have been granted visas (work visa excluded) in the past 10 years and did not overstay their visas, she said.
Sri Lankans and Bhutanese can also apply for tourist visas as the ministry relaxed the screening procedures for travelers from those countries, Chen added.
Indian, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Burmese, Cambodian and Laotian business travelers can apply for electronic visas if they have recommendations from the Taiwan External Trade Development Council office in their country, she said.
The ministry said the Philippines has been included the visa-waiver program after consultation with government agencies in charge of immigration, trade, national security and others found that the number of Filipinos who have overstayed their visa are “within a controllable range.”
Tourism Bureau Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said that the bureau considers the Philippines a strong potential tourism market.
The Philippines is geographically close and travelers can reach Taiwan within five hours, he said.
He said that the visa-waiver program would likely help increase the number of Filipino tourists by 33 percent to about 230,000 people.
The bureau also introduced the incentives to attract other international visitors, it said.
International tourists who come with tour groups could receive between NT$20,000 and NT$150,000 in subsidies if they spend three days in Taiwan and visit artistic and historic sites.
Each person could receive a subsidy of between NT$400 and NT$800 for tour groups that spend more than four days in Taiwan.
Tourists of incentive tour groups from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Lao, Myanmar, Cambodia, India, Bhutan, Australia and New Zealand can each receive NT$400 on the first or second day of the four-day tour in Taiwan if the group has more than 50 people, the tour said. In addition, their tour groups would receive NT$80,000 to NT$120,000 in additional subsidy if they also watch local art performances subsidized by the Ministry of Culture or historic and cultural sites recommended by the local governments, depending on the size of their tour groups.
“We estimate that the incentive will generate more than NT$800 million (US$26.18 million) in revenue,” Chou said.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it