The Ministry of Transportation and Communications plans to double down on perks and subsidies to boost tourism as recent natural disasters have curbed the number of domestic and foreign visitors, it said yesterday.
The number of international visitors to Taiwan dropped by 500,000 in the first two quarters of this year due to the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, which damaged Taroko National Park, resulting in its closure, Minister of Transportation and Communications Li Men-yen (李孟諺) told a news conference.
The government has prepared tourism stimulus policies and an advertising campaign in response to Typhoon Gaemi, which has also affected the nation’s tourism sector, Lee said.
Photo: CNA
The ministry’s target is to attract 10 million tourists from abroad by the end of the year, he said, adding that the nation has had 3.8 million visitors so far.
The goal is still achievable, as the second half of the year usually sees an increase in the number of foreign tourists, Lee said.
Tourists from Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Macao are eligible for a free airplane ticket if they travel in groups of three or four people, he said.
Other existing subsidies have been increased, he said.
Travel agencies would receive a NT$20,000 to NT$30,000 (US$609 to US$913) subsidy for each international tour group, up from the previous subsidy of NT$10,000 to NT$20,000, Lee said.
The subsidies would be increased to a sum of NT$30,000 to NT$50,000 if the tour group visits Hualien, depending on the size of the group, he said.
The ministry is eyeing untapped sources of tourism revenue, such as giving people visiting Taiwan for trade exhibits or conventions a subsidy of NT$2,000 per day if they visit other parts of the nation, Lee said.
Japanese and South Koreans visiting Taiwan to play golf or attend certain educational programs would receive subsidies to boost tourism and consumption, he added.
The end date for subsidies targeting Haulien’s tourism industry would be extended beyond September to prevent the typhoon from wiping out the gains made by the government’s efforts to revive the sector, Lee said.
The extension would not result in increased costs, as 90 percent of the NT$800 million budget originally allocated to these measures remains unused, ministry officials said.
Separately, the Hualien County Council passed the second reading of a motion to issue stimulus vouchers for the county, which would come from the NT$1 billion budget lawmakers passed for the locality.
The vouchers — which would be printed by the Central Engraving and Printing Plant — would count as legal tender, Hualien Tourism Bureau Director Chang Chih-hsiang (張志翔) told reporters after the council’s session.
Taiwanese registered as residents of Hualien before April 3 this year would be eligible for nine vouchers worth NT$3,000 in total, to be issued from September to October, he said.
There is annother plan for NT$200 vouchers to be sold to residents for NT$100, which could be used in retail venues, Chang added.
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