The government plans to allocate an additional NT$2 billion (US$67.49 million) in subsidies for a second phase of “disease prevention tours” — scheduled to start on Wednesday next week — given high demand, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
Lin, who made the announcement on a trip to Taitung to promote domestic tourism, as Taiwan’s borders remain closed to international tourists, participated in a tour of the pineapple harvest in Luye Township (鹿野鄉) and learned how to make pineapple jam.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people this summer would be visiting local tourist attractions, instead of going abroad, Lin said.
Photo courtesy of the Tourism Bureau via CNA
The ministry had budgeted NT$3.9 billion for the second phase of disease prevention tours, Lin said, referring to subsidies of domestic tours from next month to October.
As the subsidies can be used for weekday and weekend tours, for independent travelers and tour groups, and tours to amusement parks, the original budget might not be enough to meet demand, spurring plans for an additional NT$2 billion in funding, which the Executive Yuan supports, Lin said.
The additional funding would be included in the budget earmarked for a third relief package to help travel agencies hosting inbound and outbound tourists, as well as businesses at international airports that are struggling to survive, the ministry said.
Domestic tourism subsidies have significantly increased hotel occupancy rates in central and southern Taiwan, as well as the outlying islands, but hotels in metropolitan areas this month had an average occupancy rate of about 20 percent, Lin said.
“We hope that we can offer relief funds to these hotels through the third bailout package. We also encourage hoteliers to be part of the ‘disease prevention tour’ packages. With the provision of Triple Stimulus Vouchers and government subsidies, they can change their business models and raise their occupancy rates. This would help sustain them over the next three months,” he said.
Lin said he hoped that the quality of domestic tours would be greatly enhanced with the promotion of the disease prevention tours, adding that the Tourism Bureau is working with travel agencies and tour operators to arrange quality tours.
The government has subsidized travel agencies to spend one month scouting out potential travel routes nationwide, which would then be introduced to the public, he said.
Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General Chang Shi-chung (張錫聰) said that the bureau has submitted a plan for the additional tour subsidies to the Executive Yuan.
The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics would evaluate and prioritize the various government agencies’ needs, he said, adding that the details have yet to be finalized.
The US government has signed defense cooperation agreements with Japan and the Philippines to boost the deterrence capabilities of countries in the first island chain, a report by the National Security Bureau (NSB) showed. The main countries on the first island chain include the two nations and Taiwan. The bureau is to present the report at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee tomorrow. The US military has deployed Typhon missile systems to Japan’s Yamaguchi Prefecture and Zambales province in the Philippines during their joint military exercises. It has also installed NMESIS anti-ship systems in Japan’s Okinawa
TRAGEDY STRIKES TAIPEI: The suspect died after falling off a building after he threw smoke grenades into Taipei Main Station and went on a killing spree in Zhongshan A 27-year-old suspect allegedly threw smoke grenades in Taipei Main Station and then proceeded to Zhongshan MRT Station in a random killing spree that resulted in the death of the suspect and two other civilians, and seven injured, including one in critical condition, as of press time last night. The suspect, identified as a man surnamed Chang Wen (張文), allegedly began the attack at Taipei Main Station, the Taipei Fire Department said, adding that it received a report at 5:24pm that smoke grenades had been thrown in the station. One man in his 50s was rushed to hospital after a cardiac arrest
‘WIN-WIN’: The Philippines, and central and eastern European countries are important potential drone cooperation partners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung said Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) in an interview published yesterday confirmed that there are joint ventures between Taiwan and Poland in the drone industry. Lin made the remark in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper). The government-backed Taiwan Excellence Drone International Business Opportunities Alliance and the Polish Chamber of Unmanned Systems on Wednesday last week signed a memorandum of understanding in Poland to develop a “non-China” supply chain for drones and work together on key technologies. Asked if Taiwan prioritized Poland among central and eastern European countries in drone collaboration, Lin
ON ALERT: Taiwan’s partners would issue warnings if China attempted to use Interpol to target Taiwanese, and the global body has mechanisms to prevent it, an official said China has stationed two to four people specializing in Taiwan affairs at its embassies in several democratic countries to monitor and harass Taiwanese, actions that the host nations would not tolerate, National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) said yesterday. Tsai made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, which asked him and Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) to report on potential conflicts in the Taiwan Strait and military preparedness. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) expressed concern that Beijing has posted personnel from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office to its
RSS