The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday unveiled a series of plans to help boost tourism in Hualien this year after severe damage to infrastructure from a magnitude 7.2 earthquake and typhoons last year.
The government had offered subsidies for domestic tourists to travel to Hualien and Taitung counties to help sustain the travel industry on the east coast.
However, the subsidies ended last month.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
They helped attract 2.25 million domestic travelers to the east coast, generating NT$10.7 billion (US$326.41 million), ministry data showed.
Department of Aviation and Navigation Director-General Han Cheng-hua (韓振華) said that the ministry had stipulated standardized operation procedures to activate land, sea and air transport to Hualien and Taitung within three hours after a natural disaster.
The ministry had upgraded a system for people to make reservations and expanded capacity, meaning people would be able to travel to the east coast after an emergency situation more easily, Han said.
To attract tourists arriving on cruise ships, Taiwan International Port Co repaired a pier at the Port of Hualien that was damaged by the April 3 earthquake and began using immigration facilities at Pier 14 in June, he said, adding that the facilities allowed the port to accommodate 15,000-tonne cruise ships.
The port company would also waive anchoring fees, passenger service fees and port facility cleaning fees for cruise ships that stop at the Port of Hualien, Han said, adding that subsidies would be provided for people arriving at airports to board a cruise ship.
A company itinerary showed that 28 cruise ships were scheduled to stop at the Port of Hualien this year, which are estimated to bring 32,000 travelers between them.
The first cruise this year is scheduled to arrive on Jan. 26 , carrying 2,800 passengers, it showed.
The Civil Aviation Administration has secured NT$30.48 million to subsidize Uni Air to increase flights between Taipei and Hualien from four per week to seven per week, Han said.
The carrier began operating on its new schedule on Monday, he said.
Since Dec. 12, Hong Kong Express has been offering four round-trip flights per week between Hualien and Hong Kong, with additional flights available during the Lunar New Year holiday, he said.
Railway services to the east coast have fully recovered after two railway bridges were destroyed by the earthquake, Han said.
The bridges were rebuilt and opened for railway services last month, he said.
To attract tourists to Hualien, tickets for Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Bus Service would be free for people who use EasyCard or other cards payment systems, while Taiwan Tour Bus has a 90 percent discount for its tickets, he said.
In August, Hualien County would highlight astrological tours, for which shuttle buses would be available.
Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said that April’s major earthquake caused Taiwan to lose about 520,000 international visitors last year.
The number of international tourists for the whole of last year was estimated to be between 7.85 million and 7.87 million, Chou said.
The Tourism Administration has plans to expand the sources of international tourists, with new tourism information centers to be established in Sydney; Mumbai, India; Seattle and Amsterdam next year, he said.
As Osaka, Japan, is to host the World Expo from April 13 to Oct. 13, the Tourism Administration hopes that attendees who transit in Taiwan would make brief visits here, Chou said.
Although it failed to reach the goal of 10 million international visitors last year, the agency successfully attracted 1 million South Korean tourists, he said.
It also made progress in drawing visitors from the Philippines, Thailand and the US, he said.
A “buy one get one free” offer for international travelers accessing the high-speed rail was popular among visitors from Malaysia and Singapore, he said.
“For first-time visitors to Taiwan this year, we recommend tourist attractions in the northern region, while second-time visitors and those who have visited multiple times are encouraged to visit attractions in southern Taiwan,” Chou said.
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