The cost of summer package tours to the US and Canada is expected to increase by NT$5,000 to NT$18,000 from last year, the Travel Quality Assurance Association said yesterday.
The association published a report on reasonable prices for tours running from July to September to a wide range of destinations in the US, Canada, Asia, Europe and Oceania.
Tours to the US that are longer or visit national parks have been especially popular this year, association representative Yen Chih-mei (顏智梅) said, adding that prices are expected to continue to rise by about NT$5,000 over the next year.
Photo: Hsiao Yu-hsin, Taipei Times
Meanwhile, the cost of tours to Canada is expected to increase by NT$6,000 to NT$18,000, due to higher airfare and accommodation costs, the association said.
In Europe, while the exchange rates of the euro and pound have remained stable, tours are expected to cost NT$1,000 to NT$2,000 more due to an increase in tourists in the season, it said.
Tours to Southeast Asia are also expected to be NT$500 to NT$1,000 more expensive than last year due to increased airfare and hotel costs, association representative Coco Yu (俞示芬) said.
For those on a tight budget, Boracay in the Philippines would make a great destination, she said.
Airfare to Boracay has dropped by about NT$300 since Tigerair and AirAsia Zest began offering flights to the island after it reopened to visitors late last year, she added.
Tours to Northeast Asia would also become more expensive, association representative (林怡君) Lin Yi-chun said.
The cost of tours to Japan would increase by 10 percent from last year because of the yen’s appreciation, as well as higher food and hotel costs due to next year’s Tokyo Olympics, but they would still be cheaper than traveling without a tour group, she said.
The cost of tours to South Korea is also expected to increase by NT$1,000 to NT$2,000 due to the South Korean won gaining strength, she added.
Although the July-to-September period is considered a low season for travel in Oceania, tours to Australia are expected to be NT$3,000 more expensive due to an increased fuel tax and currency fluctuations, but those to New Zealand would remain about the same, the association said.
While July and August are also peak months for domestic travel, prices are expected to remain unchanged this year, association representative Wu Pi-lian (吳碧蓮) said.
The number of foreign tourists in Taiwan has increased by more than 80 percent this year from the past two years, despite springtime after the Lunar New Year usually being a low season, the association said.
Whether that number would continue to grow in the third quarter remains to be seen, it added.
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