The New Taipei City Government said it is mulling revoking free admission to museums, a policy implemented in 2010, adding that its final decision would be made by March next year.
The government cited complaints that the policy, while bringing in as many as 6.5 million tourists last year, is degrading tourism quality at museums.
Prior to 2009, then-Taipei County set regular museum admission prices at NT$100 and discounted ticket prices at NT$70.
Pursuant to the government’s distribution of vouchers in 2009 to stimulate the economy in the wake of a global economic downturn in 2008, the museums in the former county had asked visitors to use the vouchers instead of purchasing tickets.
A free admission policy was implemented in museums in 2010, but limited only to museums that were under New Taipei City’s jurisdiction, and excluding all other museums under the Ministry of Culture.
However, the increased number of tourists has caused museum maintenance fees to spike, according to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) New Taipei City Councilor Pai Pei-ju (白佩茹).
Citing the Gold Museum in New Taipei City’s Juifang District (瑞芳), Pai said that trash created by tourists has become a problem and that public restrooms are often not up to sanitary standards due to the large volume of people using them.
Museums lack the resources to maintain the establishments, leading to the general degradation of the museums’ quality as cultural sites, Pai said.
Museums are not theme parks. They should be exquisitely maintained and provide high standards for tourists, Pai said, adding that charging admission fees is the way to achieve such results.
Listing museums under the municipality’s jurisdiction, Pai said that average funding stands at NT$110 million (US$3.35 million) for the Gold Museum, NT$130 million for the Yingge Ceramic Museum, NT$90 million for the Tamsui Historical Museum and NT$80 million for the Shihsanhang Museum of Archeology.
Even with the sale of commercial merchandise and additional classes held by the museums, they are unable to make a profit, Pai said.
New Taipei City Bureau of Cultural Affairs Director Lin Kuan-yu (林寬裕) said that a free admission policy was implemented to encourage people to visit cultural sites, adding that the policy has achieved its goal.
We now look forward to helping museums achieve fiscal balance, while maintaining, if not elevating, their professional standards, Lin said.
KMT City Councilor Tsai Yeh-wei (蔡葉偉) said that should admission fees be reintroduced, the government should ensure the funds are used to help museums achieve self-sustainability.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
RSS