Members of the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee yesterday criticized the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ subsidy programs aimed at boosting domestic tourism, saying that they only scratch the surface of underlying problems in the tourism industry.
The ministry in May introduced a subsidy program to boost the number of tourists to southern Taiwan, and last month launched a winter subsidy program for travelers to Kaohsiung as well as Yilan, Hualien, Taitung and Pingtung counties.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Cheng Pao-ching (鄭寶清) said that the first program had originally planned to skip Chiayi County, but following a protest it not only included Chiayi, but also Penghu County.
The second program initially did not apply to travelers to Yilan City and Yilan County’s Toucheng (頭城) and Jiaosi (礁溪), but the ministry later decided that it would subsidize travel there as well, he said.
The programs have confused te public, sparking complaints and damaging the government’s credibility, he said.
DPP Legislator Yeh Yi-jin(葉宜津) said that while the number of international tourists last year grew by 0.46 percent, the number of outbound tourists rose by 7 percentage points.
It was not that Taiwanese do not like to travel, but that they do not like to travel domestically, she said, adding that traveling in Taiwan could sometimes be more expensive than traveling overseas.
Providing subsidies only scratches the surface of the problem, Yeh said.
“The real problem facing the tourism industry is that many of the artificial attractions, such as night markets, are more or less the same everywhere and do not draw repeat visitors. The only thing that is unique is the natural scenery,” she said.
DPP Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) said that the ministry has limited the subsidies to travelers to certain cities or counties, sparking complaints from other areas.
The ministry should follow the example of Japan, where the government provides subsides to international tourists only after typhoons or earthquakes, or subsidizes only elderly or young tourists, Lee said, adding: “Otherwise, the effects generated by subsidy programs would be limited.”
About 570,000 young Taiwanese traveled overseas between January and March, Lee said, adding that the government should try to find ways to encourage them travel in Taiwan instead.
DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) thanked the ministry’s subsidy program for Hualien County following an earthquake in February, but criticized a program launched last month, saying some travel agents have abused the scheme.
Some of the agents also complained that they are not familiar with the details of the subsidy program because it was launched just days after its announcement, she said.
Although the number of independent foreign travelers has increased, most of them only visit big cities or metropolitan areas, Hsiao said.
The government should help attract tourists to the nation’s second-tier cities by launching connecting domestic flights for international visitors, Hsiao said.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wu Hong-mo (吳宏謀) promised to review the subsidy programs, adding that the ministry would introduce a more detailed plan on how to motivate more young and elderly travelers to travel in Taiwan.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it