The government would offer subsidies to domestic travelers from July 1 as part of a stimulus package to boost the economy as the nation’s COVID-19 outbreak eases, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday.
People traveling in tour groups on Taiwan proper would be offered NT$700 (US$23.48) per person per night at a hotel, while those traveling to the outlying counties of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu would be offered NT$1,200 per person per night, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
The program is to last until Oct. 31.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Independent travelers would be offered a subsidy of NT$1,000 per room per night at a hotel, he said.
They can register for the program using their national identification cards, he said, adding that each person is limited to receiving a subsidy for one hotel stay.
People who travel to outlying counties, as well as Siaoliouciou Island (小琉球), Green Island (綠島) and Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼), would be able to register for the subsidies for two hotel stays, Lin said.
Foreign residents of Taiwan are not eligible for the subsidies, but foreign nationals who have Taiwanese ID cards are, the ministry said in a statement.
Taiwanese born after July 1, 2001, can enter amusement parks free of charge from July 1 and Aug. 31, Lin said.
Taiwan Tour Bus passengers on half-day or one-day itineraries would be eligible for “buy-one, get-one-free” offers, he added.
The promotions would apply on weekdays and weekends, he said.
The promotions would cost an estimated NT$3.9 billion and are expected to stimulate 6.38 million hotel and park visits, and tour bus trips, Lin said.
Additional reporting by Shelley Shan
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