A draw is to be held monthly beginning next month for birthday-linked accommodation vouchers as part of incentives to boost domestic tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday.
Separate draws would be held from April for subsidies for people traveling domestically on Sundays through Thursdays, the agency said.
One thousand people would be awarded birthday vouchers each month, with each voucher valued at NT$1,200 (US$38.29), it said.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
The subsidies for weekday travel would be NT$800 for a one-night stay and NT$1,200 for a two-night stay, it added.
Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) said that the subsidies for weekday travel should become available on April 1, as legislative approval of a budget to fund them is expected in March.
People who win birthday vouchers next month or in February would not receive them until the budget is approved, Huang said.
The ministry presented other plans to boost domestic tourism and attract international visitors at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, including an amusement park overnight stay program, corporate employee domestic travel incentives and weekday domestic travel discounts for Taiwan Pass holders.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said he hopes that the budget — proposed to be about NT$2.3 billion — to fund the plans would be implemented by March.
The goal is to encourage people to travel more often, especially on their birthdays, and to visit amusement parks, Chen said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) asked whether there was any possibility of increasing the number of birthday vouchers given out per month, as only 12,000 people per year would receive them at the proposed level.
“We will try our best to see if we can increase the number of recipients, as it is a good thing to celebrate birthdays,” Chen said.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
RSS