A large share of the subsidies for the second phase of “disease-prevention tours” have been spent on tours to five destinations — Hualien, Yilan, Taitung and Penghu counties, and Taichung — Tourism Bureau data showed yesterday.
The subsidies allocated through the program which began on July 1 are to encourage people to travel to domestic destinations after the nation had effectively contained the COVID-19 pandemic, the bureau said, adding that tour groups and independent travelers were entitled to the subsidies.
The bureau dismissed reports about a funding shortage, saying that there is still sufficient funding to cover subsidies to be paid out until October.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
“To subsidize accommodation for independent travelers, funding is to be allocated to local governments in different stages. If they have used up 80 percent of funds allocated to them, they can apply for a second round of funding,” the bureau said.
As the numbers of travelers to the east coast and the nation’s outlying islands have increased this month, causing disruptions to local residents, the bureau said that people should travel on weekdays
They should also consider destinations in northern and central Taiwan, it said.
In related news, domestic flight carriers are on Monday next week to begin taking reservations for flights to the nation’s outlying islands for the Mid-Autumn Festival between Oct. 1 and Oct. 4, and the Double Ten National Day holiday between Oct. 9 and Oct. 11.
Residents of Penghu, Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties have priority access to the flights during both holidays, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said yesterday.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
DO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, it
A New York-based NGO has launched a global initiative to rename the nation’s overseas missions, most of which operate under the name "Taipei," to "Taiwan Representative Office (TRO)," according to a news release. Ming Chiang (江明信), CEO of Hello Taiwan, announced the campaign at a news conference in Berlin on Monday, coinciding with the World Forum held from Monday through Wednesday, the institution stated in the release. Speaking at the event, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Huang Jie (黃捷) said she believed this renaming campaign would enable the international community to see Taiwan
TOO DANGEROUS: The families agreed to suspend crewed recovery efforts that could put rescuers in danger from volcanic gases and unstable terrain The bodies of two Taiwanese tourists and a Japanese pilot have been located inside a volcanic crater, Japanese authorities said yesterday, nearly a month after a sightseeing helicopter crashed during a flight over southwestern Japan. Drone footage taken at the site showed three bodies near the wreckage of the aircraft inside a crater on Mount Aso in Kumamoto Prefecture, police and fire officials said. The helicopter went missing on Jan. 20 and was later found on a steep slope inside the Nakadake No. 1 Crater, about 50m below the rim. Authorities said that conditions at the site made survival highly unlikely, and ruled
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