Taipei is slashing admission fees to a host of sights and attractions to attract domestic tourists during summer as the COVID-19 pandemic has virtually halted inbound tourism.
Taipei Department of Information and Tourism Commissioner Liu Yi-ting (劉奕霆) said that special admission prices and offers to many of the attractions are to be implemented from July 15 to Aug. 31.
Museum lovers can purchase a combined ticket for seven museums that originally costs NT$330 for only NT$50. The seven are: the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum, the Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence, the Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei, Grass Mountain Chateau, Li Kwoh-ting’s Residence and the Sun Yun-suan Memorial Museum, the commission said in a statement.
Photo courtesy of Taipei City Government
A flat rate of NT$200, originally NT$350, will also be available for visitors to the Taipei Children’s Amusement Park, it said.
The Maokong Gondola is also to reduce its price of NT$120 to NT$50 for a single trip, while Taipei Zoo is to provide a gift for every full NT$60 ticket purchased, it said.
The Taipei Astronomical Museum will also cut the entrance fee in half to NT$20, it said, while the Taipei Water Park will reduce its admission fee of NT$80 to NT$50 from July 1 to July 31.
The promotions are aimed at attracting domestic travelers to tour the capital, given a lack of international tourists, Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said.
“We want to keep Taipei residents’ money in Taipei and also bring in money from people living in other parts of Taiwan,” she said.
To curb the spread of COVID-19, Taiwan has since March 19 banned all foreign nationals using visitor or landing visas.
The only foreigners allowed entry are those who hold Alien Resident Certificates or documents proving they are in Taiwan for diplomatic or other official purposes, or to fulfill business contracts, as well as those who have received special permits.
“The lack of international tourists has really had an impact on Taipei,” Huang said. “Taipei is known to mostly attract tourists from Japan and South Korea.”
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