Package tour fees to Japan in the second quarter are expected to increase by 5 to 10 percent from the same period last year, the Travel Quality Assurance Association said yesterday.
Although Japan’s exchange rate has fallen by about 7 percent compared with the same period last year, the price of accommodation has increased by 10 to 15 percent, tour bus prices by 12 percent and ticket prices by 10 to 12 percent, it said.
New regulations on shorter working hours for chartered bus drivers, which are to go into effect next month, would also increase costs, it added.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
A five-day trip to Hokkaido is expected to cost about NT$42,900 to NT$57,900, while a five-day trip to Osaka about NT$35,900 to NT$62,900, the association said.
Tour packages to South Korea are expected to be relatively affordable, as there are more seats available on flights and airlines usually do special promotions from next month to June, association representative Lin Yue-hyu (林岳雨) said.
A four-day or five-day tour to Seoul is expected to cost from NT$12,800 to NT$34,500, while a four-day or five-day tour to Jeju Island from NT$12,900 to NT$29,500, Lin said.
Tours to the US and Canada are expected to rise by 15 to 20 percent compared with the same period last year due to shortages of hotel staff and bus drivers, as well as rising ticket prices, association representative Lee Ying-ming (李英明) said.
Traveling eight to 10 days in the western US is expected to cost NT$71,900 to NT$99,800, while 10 days in the eastern US is expected to cost NT$119,800, he said.
Tours to Europe are expected to be 15 to 25 percent more expensive than in the same period last year due to a rising exchange rate, and higher costs of flight tickets, food and tour buses, the association said.
A tour to the Netherlands, Belgium and France for eight to 12 days is expected to cost NT$79,900 to NT$109,900, while a tour to Germany and Switzerland for 10 to 13 days is expected to cost NT$99,900 to NT$149,900, it said.
The association said that one-day domestic trips — at an estimated NT$1,200 to NT$2,000 — are expected to be popular, as accommodation fees have risen by 5 to 10 percent and there are only two long weekends this year for Tomb Sweeping Day and the Dragon Boat Festival.
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Snow fell in the mountainous areas of northern, central and eastern Taiwan in the early hours of yesterday, as cold air currents moved south. In the northern municipality of Taoyuan, snow started falling at about 6am in Fusing District (復興), district head Su Tso-hsi (蘇佐璽) said. By 10am, Lalashan National Forest Recreation Area, as well as Hualing (華陵), Sanguang (三光) and Gaoyi (高義) boroughs had seen snowfall, Su said. In central Taiwan, Shei-Pa National Park in Miaoli County and Hehuanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Nantou County saw snowfall of 5cm and 6cm respectively, by 10am, staff at the parks said. It began snowing
HOLIDAY EXERCISE: National forest recreation areas from north to south offer travelers a wide choice of sights to connect with nature and enjoy its benefits Hiking is a good way to improve one’s health, the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency said, as it released a list of national forest recreation areas that travelers can visit during the Lunar New Year holiday. Taking a green shower of phytoncides in the woods could boost one’s immunity system and metabolism, agency Director-General Lin Hwa-ching (林華慶) cited a Japanese study as saying. For people visiting northern Taiwan, Lin recommended the Dongyanshan National Forest Recreation Area in Taoyuan’s Fusing District (復興). Once an important plantation in the north, Dongyanshan (東眼山) has a number of historic monuments, he said. The area is broadly covered by
COMMUNITY SPIRIT: As authorities were busy with post-typhoon cleanups elsewhere, residents cleaned fallen leaves and cut small fallen trees blocking the hiking trails All hiking trails damaged by Typhoon Kong-rey have been repaired and has reopened for people who want a refreshing hike in Taipei during the Lunar New Year holiday, a city official said. The Taipei Basin is known for its easily accessible hiking trails. It has more than 130 trails combined into the 92km-long Taipei Grand Trail, which was divided into seven major routes when it was launched by the Taipei City Government in 2018. Last year, a part of the sixth route of the Grand Trail collapsed due to Typhoon Kong-rey, which hit Taiwan in October. The damaged section belongs to one
RSS