A new domestic travel subsidy program beginning tomorrow aims to encourage 7.22 million people to travel, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday, adding that the scheme would create NT$31.4 billion (US$1.05 billion) in economic value.
The subsidy program, which is to run until Dec. 15, subsidizes group tours arranged by travel agencies, as well as independent travelers and visitors to amusement parks, the bureau said.
A group tour can receive a subsidy of up to NT$30,000 on condition that it has at least 15 members, lasts for at least two days and falls mostly on weekdays, in addition to other requirements set by the bureau.
Photo: Chen Hsin-yu, Taipei Times
Independent travelers would be eligible to apply for a subsidy of NT$800 per room, or up to NT$1,300 per room for travelers who have had a booster shot of a COVID-19 vaccine, for stays in hotels recommended by the bureau, it said.
Amusement park visitors can receive discounts of at least 70 percent through the program, the bureau said.
The program is funded by the government’s Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. Of the NT$6 billion earmarked for the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, NT$5.5 billion would be allocated to the Tourism Bureau to support the domestic travel industry, while NT$500 million would support the highway bus system.
The tourism industry has gone through a difficult time over the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) told a news conference in Taipei.
“However, we are in the phase of gradually reopening the nation’s borders and preparing to resume normal life. Before the government starts issuing tourist visas to international visitors, we want to use this period to revive domestic tourism,” Wang said. “This should be considered a warm-up exercise for tourism operators, as international visitors are coming [soon].”
Domestic tourism should be the pillar of the nation’s tourism sector, Wang said.
About 80 to 90 percent of domestic travelers engage in one-day tours and many do not know how to make tour arrangements, he said.
Travel agencies should find ways to have tourists spend more days on domestic tours, Wang said, adding that they should also offer tours to attract international travelers and motivate them to visit Taiwan repeatedly.
Wang said he was not too worried about the budget, which could deplete quickly.
“The most important goal of the program is to introduce quality tours of scenic spots in Taiwan to travelers,” Wang said. “In the next five months, borders are expected to gradually reopen and more international visitors are expected to arrive. As we return to normal life, we should aim to generate tourism revenues by attracting more visitors to Taiwan.”
Of the NT$5.5 billion to be used to revitalize domestic tourism, about NT$2 billion will be given to travel agencies, NT$2 billion to hotel and accommodation operators, and NT$400 million to amusement park operators, Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung (張錫聰) said.
The bureau has also selected six “charming tourist destinations” to market to international travelers: the north coast, the northeast coast, the east coast, Sun Moon Lake (日月潭), Alishan (阿里山) and the Penghu islands, Chang said.
In addition to a tourism exchange conference with South Korea this month, Taiwan would have two other tourism exchange conferences with Japan and Vietnam in September and October respectively, Chang said.
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