More countries and territories are interested in forming “travel bubbles” with Taiwan, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday.
Earlier this year, then-minister of transportation and communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee that, in addition to Palau, the nation was negotiating “travel bubble” agreements with the governments of Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and Singapore.
Yesterday, bureau Director-General Chang Hsi-chung (張錫聰) told reporters on the sidelines of a committee meeting that more nations are seeking to ink “travel bubble” agreements with Taiwan.
Photo: Cheng Wei-chi, Taipei Times
Some of them have submitted proposals through diplomatic channels, while others have consulted the bureau, he said.
The bureau said that this week, its officials met with representatives of France, Guam, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oman, the Philippines, Spain and Thailand, as well as the Africa Taiwan Economic Forum and Hachinohe in Japan’s Aomori Prefecture.
Guam, Hawaii, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam have been enthusiastic about establishing a travel corridor with Taiwan, Chang said.
“However, they know that the key is to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks, and a ‘travel bubble’ agreement has a greater chance of succeeding when both sides have assessed the risks and trust one another,” he added.
Asked about the low number of people interested in traveling to Palau, Chang said that the tours are still in the initial stage.
“We have long weekends at the end of this month and next month. More people are likely to book tours over the summer,” he said.
Foreigners with Alien Resident Certificates or Alien Permanent Resident Certificates can also book the Palau tours, the bureau said.
Regarding a “travel bubble” agreement with Singapore, Singapore Airlines general manager in Taiwan Chua Kian-hwa (蔡建華) told reporters that the airline is waiting for further instructions from the Singaporean and Taiwanese governments.
Tourists to Singapore are not required to quarantine if they test negative upon arrival, he said, adding that tourists receive the test results within a day.
Starting this month, the airline would resume three flights per week between Taipei and Singapore, he said.
“Together with the daily Scoot flights, there will be 10 flights per week between the two countries,” Chua added.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS