ECONOMY
Taiwan 14th on rich list
Taiwan ranked 14th among the world’s 100 wealthiest economies in terms of GDP per capita, Forbes magazine said in a report on Monday. With a GDP per capita of US$76,860, Taiwan sat one spot above Hong Kong’s US$75,130. The magazine’s list of the richest economies in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation’s wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to compare economic productivity and standards of living between countries. Luxembourg topped this year’s rich list with a GDP per capita of US$143,740, followed by Macau with US$134,140, Ireland with US$133,900, Singapore with US$133,740 and Qatar with US$112,280. Rounding out the top 10 list are the United Arab Emirates (US$96,850), Switzerland (US$91,930), San Marino (US$86,990), the US (US$85,370) and Norway (US$82,830).
AIRPORT
Airshow may affect flights
Flights in and out of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are to be suspended during three intervals of up to 14 minutes this morning to avoid conflicting with airshows during Double Ten National Day celebrations. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement yesterday that all arrivals and departures today would be suspended from 8:29am to 8:42am, 8:56am to 9:06am and 11:36am to 11:50am. The service suspensions, combined with the possibility that neighboring flight information regions would impose air traffic flow controls due to poor weather, might cause flight delays this morning, the airport operator said. People traveling to the airport to take a flight or pick up arriving friends or relatives are encouraged to check their flight’s status beforehand on the Taoyuan airport Web site, the company said. The main National Day celebration is to take place in front of the Presidential Office Building in Taipei from 9:05am to 11:40am. The event is to open with a flyover by Taiwan’s indigenous Brave Eagle advanced jet trainer aircraft and is to close with a performance by the air force’s Thunder Tiger Aerobatics Team, the event program says.
AIRLINES
Hualien flights to resume
Low-cost airline Hong Kong Express Airways on Tuesday said it would resume direct flights to Hualien County on Dec. 12. The carrier said it would offer four round-trip services each week, ending a six-year hiatus. Hualien would be the carrier’s fourth main destination in Taiwan — after Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung — bringing a total of 144 weekly flights between Hong Kong and Taiwan, the airline said in a statement. “Travelers can embark on a journey of discovery for the mind and body in a city exalted by natural beauty and vibrant culture in just two hours,” Hong Kong Express said of Hualien. The airline launched direct flights between the two destinations in 2016, with average occupancy rates exceeding 95 percent, the Hualien County Government said on Tuesday. However, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in Hualien in 2018 led to a sharp decline in tourism demand, resulting in the airline suspending the route on Oct. 27 that year. During a visit to Hualien on Monday, Nicolas Wong (黃 柏燊), general manager of the carrier’s ground services, told Hualien County Commissioner Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚) that the Hualien market is well-positioned because younger travelers increasingly favor destinations with “unique tourism resources” instead of large cities.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS