The Ministry of Education is offering free admission to science museums nationwide for visitors under the age of 19 from next month to August, to encourage domestic tourism.
From July 1 to Aug. 31, people born after July 1, 2001, would have unlimited free admission to Taichung’s National Museum of Natural Science; Taipei’s National Taiwan Science Education Center, which is expected to reopen on July 15; Kaohsiung’s National Science And Technology Museum; Pingtung County’s National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium; and Keelung’s National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Free admission to the National Museum of Natural Science includes its galleries and some special exhibits, its Space Theater, 3D theater and botanical garden, as well as the 921 Earthquake Museum of Taiwan in Taichung’s Wufeng District (霧峰), the Fonghuanggu Bird and Ecology Park and the Chelungpu Fault Preservation Park in Nantou County, it said.
Photo: Wang Chu-hsiu, Taipei Times
Under 19 visitors to the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology would have access to its main exhibits, some special exhibits, the IMAX 3D theater and the nearby Chaojing Ocean Center, it said.
Free entrance to the National Taiwan Science Education Center and the National Science and Technology Museum would include access to permanent and some special exhibits, while visitors to the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium would have access to all exhibits, it said.
The ministry said it expects the program to attract 300,000 visitors and generate NT$100 million (US$3.36 million).
In related news, the ministry is to hold the inaugural Taiwan Science Festival from Oct. 31 to Nov. 15, with the theme of “The Earth, Ours to Care.”
The festival — a collaboration among the ministry, the Central Weather Bureau, local governments, universities and other groups — is to feature performances, films, a market and other events, the ministry said.
The ministry said it estimates that the festival would attract 200,000 participants and generate NT$40 million.
Meanwhile, a number of sports-related events to be held in the second half of the year are also expected to draw a combined 400,000 visitors and generate NT$800 million, the ministry said.
They include the Taiwan Sport Industry Expo, the National High School Athletic Games, the National Intercollegiate Athletic Games, the Citizens Sports Games, the National Disabled Games and a variety of events to coincide with National Mountaineering Day, it said.
Organizers of education and sports events that were postponed in the first half of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic should resume planning, it said.
The ministry is also planning more activities to promote tourism and stimulate the economy that combine education and entertainment, it added.
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