Officials are studying the possibility of ending the ban on casinos to boost the tourism industry, a move countries such as Singapore have already taken to exploit the boom in Chinese travel overseas, a Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) spokeswoman said yesterday.
The council is evaluating the impact that lifting the ban would have, giving special consideration to issues of morality and family values, she said.
"Casino licensing is just one of the government's options to raise tourism revenue," she added.
"We are employing a prudent approach to study whether and how the licensing would help achieve the goal of boosting tourism. No decision has been made," she said.
The council is scheduled to release a report on the study in the second half of this year.
In 2005, tourism revenue in Taiwan totaled US$10.96 billion, barely changed from 2004, accounting for 3.17 percent of the nation's GDP. The figures for last year will be released in July or August.
The spokeswoman said that casino liberalization was a complicated issue, especially in a society in which gambling is deprecated, but lottery sales are permitted for welfare purposes.
Chu Yen-min (
"Casinos in neighboring countries, such as Macau, Singapore and South Korea, are attracting many foreign visitors. I think casinos will help the local tourism industry," Chu said.
Macau has come to rival Las Vegas as one of the world's largest gambling centers, with gaming revenue soaring 22 percent to US$7 billion last year.
"The local tourism sector wants to accommodate more visitors from China. Casinos will certainly become a big attraction once the Taiwanese government allows more Chinese tourists to visit the island," Chu said.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique