A Consumers’ Foundation survey released on Friday found that 40 percent of hot spring resort owners operated without legal permits, while another seven resorts violated regulations regarding down payments.
According to the Hot Spring Act (溫泉法), natural hot springs are national resources, Consumers’ Foundation chairman Yu Kai-hsiung (游開雄) said.
As many people have visited hot springs in the past few weeks amid falling temperatures, the foundation randomly surveyed 12 hot spring resorts nationwide, Yu said.
The foundation said that the worst offender was the well-known Hotel Royal in Taitung County’s Jhiben Township (知本), as its permit had expired five years ago and it might be officially ineligible for consideration as a hot springs resort, the foundation said.
Royal Spa Hot Springs Resort in Taichung’s Heping District (和平), Hongye Resort in Hualien County’s Ruisuei Township (瑞穗), Shian Ting Hot Spring Hostel in Nantou County’s Puli Township (埔里) and Melonshan Spa World (美崙山) in Kaohsiung’s Liouguei District (六龜) were liable for fines between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000 for operating without permits, it added.
Only three out of 12 complied with regulations regarding accepting and refunding down payments, the foundation said.
Chengping Hot Spring Resort in Jhiben, as well as the Shian Ting and Melonshan resorts, asked for down payments in excess of the legal maximum of 30 percent, the foundation said.
At the Pause Landis Resort in New Taipei City’s Wulai District (烏來) and the No. 9 Hotel in Yilan County’s Jiaosi Township (礁溪), down payments are actually advance payments, as they equal the room price, the foundation said.
Requiring down payments is legal, but half the amount should be returned if a booking is canceled on the day before arrival and cancelations two weeks in advance are eligible for full refunds, the foundation said.
Muchun Hot Spring Resort in Tainan’s Baihe Township (白河) and the Butterfly Valley Resort in Hualien deduct 5 percent and 30 percent respectively from deposits, Yu said, adding that neither clearly stated when guests need to cancel reservations to qualify for full refunds.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications must step up efforts to supervise hot springs, Yu said, adding that it should begin by revoking permits.
Hot Spring Tourism Association Taiwan president Lee Chi-tien (李吉田) said that the foundation’s sample size was too small to claim that “40 percent” of national hot spring owners operated illegally.
Ministry Travel and Lodging Division chief Chen Chiung-hua (陳瓊華) said resorts are required by the Consumer Protection Act (消費者保護法) to disclose the amount of a down payment, how to obtain refunds and what fees might be deducted.
Resorts that do not comply could be fined between NT$30,000 and NT$300,000, she said, adding that the ministry’s Tourism Bureau would look into all resorts listed by the foundation.
Meanwhile, the owners of Hongye Resort said that it did not qualify for a permit, as the owner is not fully Aboriginal and the lands on which it is built are considered Aboriginal reserved land.
Having been established during the Japanese colonial era, the resort is more than a century old and a local landmark, said the owner, who is surnamed Lu (盧).
The resort is near the Ruisuei Hot Springs area, but administratively belongs to Wanjung Township (萬榮), which makes it difficult to obtain the necessary approvals and water rights, Lu said.
The Hualien County Government said that the location on Aboriginal reserved land is the main obstacle to resolving the issue and it would ask the county’s Indigenous Peoples Department and the Wanjung Township Office to assist the resort in obtaining legal papers for its land and water rights.
Only then could it help the resort obtain a hot spring permit, the county government said.
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