The government is considering offering subsidies to Taiwanese visitors to Palau that would cover part of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing fees, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday.
Taiwan has been allowing people to travel to the Pacific island nation since April 1 via a “travel bubble” agreement between the two countries. While the pilot tours attracted more than 100 Taiwanese tourists, travel operators have since then reported lackluster sales of tours, which caused China Airlines to cancel charter flights to Palau.
One of the reasons for high tour prices is the PCR tests, which travelers are required to undertake both when they arrive at and return from Palau, Wang told reporters, adding that two PCR tests cost NT$10,000.
Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Taipei Times
“Through the subsidies, we hope that tour prices would return to the pre-COVID-19 level, which would motivate more people to travel. The same subsidy program could also be implemented should Taiwan form travel bubbles with Singapore and Vietnam,” Wang said, adding that details of the subsidy program are still in discussion.
The ministry is also studying the possibility of subsidizing PCR tests for international tourists arriving via “travel bubble” agreements, as it would contribute to the growth of the nation’s tourism industry, which has been severely hit by the pandemic, Wang said.
Although the government is in talks with many nations and territories about forming travel corridors, Wang said that tours to Palau remain the ministry’s priority, as they would set an example for how a “travel bubble” agreement should be enforced in terms of arranging tours amid a pandemic.
“The experiences we gain from our opening tours to Palau would become an important point of reference when we discuss other ‘travel bubble’ agreements with the Central Epidemic Command Center,” he said, adding that the center would make the final decision on any other “travel bubble” agreements.
Starting on April 14, Taiwanese returning from Palau only need to observe general self-health management guidelines for 14 days, rather than undergoing a stricter version of self-health management for five days and general health management for another nine days, the Tourism Bureau has said.
Although tourists must still take a PCR test on the fifth day of their return, they are allowed to take public transport to work, it added.
Foreign expatriates in Taiwan who have Alien Permanent Resident Cards or Alien Resident Cards are allowed to travel to Palau through the “travel bubble” agreement as well, the bureau said.
On Monday, Singaporean Minister of Transport Ong Ye Kung (王乙康) said the city-state has submitted a “travel bubble” proposal to Taiwan, along with a proposed program to mutually recognize vaccination certificates.
In related news, the ministry is still studying whether the government should offer relief funds to workers in the travel industry in the second quarter of this year to compensate their loss of income due to the pandemic, Wang said.
The funds would be planned with a vision of boosting tours in the post-pandemic era and elevating overall travel quality, he said.
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,
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
RSS