Waiao in Yilan County is a famous surf destination in northern Taiwan. The summer vacation is the peak season when many tourists come here for surfing and swimming. On the street directly behind the beach there are a dozen surf shops and bed-and-breakfasts lined up, with intense competition among them. Tourists need only purchase a package tour to get the chance to experience surfing.
Although the surfing services seem all-encompassing, many operators’ contracts fail to include accident insurance.
According to a report by TVBS News, any tourists who cannot surf can hire a professional coach to give them a basic surfing lesson for only NT$500. Regulations stipulate that operators must purchase NT$3 million in accident insurance for tourists, but in fact their contracts state that tourists will be liable themselves if they incur any injuries or accidents, and that if any accident not related to the rental of a surfboard leads to injury or death, the operator will not be liable for compensation.
Photo: Wang Yang-yu, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者王揚宇
In order to improve this situation, the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Administration is currently considering requiring business owners to provide accident insurance for tourists, so as to avoid any accident disputes from occurring in the future.
(Liberty times, translated by Zane Kheir)
宜蘭縣的外澳是北部知名衝浪勝地，暑假更是許多遊客來衝浪戲水的旺季，在沙灘正後面的街上更有十幾家衝浪店與民宿林立，競爭激烈。遊客只要買套裝行程，就能體驗衝浪。然而服務看似齊全，許多業者的合約書中，卻獨缺了意外險。
據《TVBS新聞》報導，若有不會衝浪的遊客，只要支付五百元，就能有專業教練來做簡單的衝浪教學。而按照規定，業者須替遊客投保三百萬元的意外險，但合約書上載明遊客若有任何受傷或意外須自行負責，如果是與租借的衝浪板無關的意外造成受傷或死亡，不予理賠。
為改善此狀況，東北角風景管理處目前正研議要求業者替遊客加保意外險，避免意外糾紛發生。
（自由時報）
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