Tainan, Taipei and New Taipei City recorded the highest fines nationwide for illegal accommodations in the first quarter of this year, with fines issued in the three cities each exceeding NT$7 million (US$220,639), Tourism Administration data showed.
Among them, Taipei had the highest number of illegal short-term rental units, with 410.
There were 3,280 legally registered hotels nationwide in the first quarter, down by 14 properties, or 0.43 percent, from a year earlier, likely indicating operators exiting the market, the agency said.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
However, the number of unregistered properties rose to 1,174, including 314 illegal hotels and 860 illegal short-term rental suites — an increase of 42 from a year earlier.
The rise was driven by growth in short-term rental units in urban areas, as well as more inspections by local governments, the agency said.
Of the 860 illegal short-term rental suites, Taipei accounted for 410, followed by Taichung with 187 and Kaohsiung with 113.
A total of 934 inspections of hotel operators were conducted in the first quarter, with Taipei recording the highest number at 286, followed by Kaohsiung with 114 and Tainan with 107.
Authorities issued 185 fines, with Taipei accounting for 74, Taichung 40 and Tainan 21. Total fines nationwide reached NT$32.67 million, with Tainan issuing the most at NT$7.42 million, followed by Taipei at NT$7.36 million and New Taipei City at NT$7.3 million.
There were 12,693 legally registered bed and breakfast (B&B) operations in the first quarter, an increase of 430 from a year earlier, the agency said.
It suggests that B&Bs — often run as side businesses renting spare rooms in private homes — are less affected by operating cost pressures, whereas hotels are more likely to suspend operations due to financial considerations.
The number of unregistered B&Bs fell to 541, down 44 from a year earlier, which the agency attributed to increased inspections by local governments, prompting some operators to register or cease operations.
A total of 2,291 inspections were conducted at B&Bs, with Taitung County recording the highest number at 983, followed by Pingtung County with 426 and Tainan with 226.
Authorities issued 56 fines in the category, with Tainan and Taitung each recording 10, followed by Yilan County with nine and Hualien County with seven.
Total fines for illegal B&B operations reached NT$3.87 million, with Yilan County issuing the most at NT$1.07 million, followed by Hualien County at NT$700,000 and Taitung County at NT$630,000.
SILENCING CRITICS: In addition to blocking Taiwan, China aimed to prevent rights activists from speaking out against authoritarian states, a Cabinet department said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday condemned transnational repression by Beijing after RightsCon, a major digital human rights conference scheduled to be held in Zambia this week, was abruptly canceled due to Chinese pressure over Taiwanese participation. This year’s RightsCon, the world’s largest conference discussing issues “at the intersection of human rights and technology,” was scheduled to take place from tomorrow to Friday in Lusaka, and expected to draw 2,600 in-person attendees from 150 countries, along with 1,100 online participants. However, organizers were forced to cancel the event due to behind-the-scenes pressure from China, the ministry said, expressing its “strongest condemnation”
Taiwan’s economy grew far faster than expected in the first quarter, as booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications drove a surge in exports, spilling over into investment and consumption, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) said yesterday. GDP growth was 13.69 percent year-on-year during the January-to-March period, beating the DGBAS’ February forecast by 2.23 percentage points and marking the most robust growth in nearly four decades, DGBAS senior official Chiang Hsin-yi (江心怡) told a news conference in Taipei. The result was powered by exports, which remain the backbone of Taiwan’s economy, Chiang said. Outbound shipments jumped 51.12 percent year-on-year to
DELAYED BUT DETERMINED: The president’s visit highlights Taiwan’s right to international engagement amid regional pressure from China President Willaim Lai (賴清德) yesterday arrived in Eswatini, more than a week after his planned visit to Taiwan’s sole African ally was suspended because of revoked overflight permits. “The visit, originally scheduled for April 22, was postponed due to unforeseen external factors,” Lai wrote on social media. “After several days of careful arrangements by our diplomatic and national security teams, we successfully arrived today.” Lai said he looked forward to further deepening Taiwan-Eswatini relations through closer cooperation in the economy, agriculture, culture and education, as well as advancing the nation’s international partnerships. The president was initially scheduled to arrive in time to celebrate
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) yesterday said the US faced a choice between an “impossible” military operation or a “bad deal” with Tehran, after US President Donald Trump disparaged Iran’s latest peace proposal. Negotiations between the two countries have been deadlocked since a ceasefire came into effect on April 8, with only one round of direct peace talks held so far. Iran’s Tasnim and Fars news agencies reported that Tehran had submitted a 14-point proposal to mediator Pakistan, but Trump was quick to cast doubt on it. “I will soon be reviewing the plan that Iran has just sent to us, but
RSS