TRAVEL GRANTS:
The Ministry of Transport has agreed to move the schedule from September to July due to urgent requests for help from the tourism sector.

• By Shelley Shan / Staff Reporter

The Ministry of Transport and Communications is due to introduce a NT$5.5 billion ($187.9 million) stimulus package on July 15 for the travel industry, which has suffered massive losses since the borders were closed. country in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transport and Communications Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) yesterday met with travel agencies, hoteliers, amusement park operators and tour operators to discuss how stimulus funds should be used to support the tourism industry.

Program details are to be finalized by Friday next week.

Travel Agents Association President Hsiao Po-jen (蕭博仁) told reporters after the meeting that attendees said they hoped the funds could be available on July 15, instead of September. as proposed by the government.

With the ministry’s approval, many travel agencies that were in “intensive care units” should be able to move to “general wards”, he said.

Hsiao said they also hope the government will quickly lift the ban on travel agencies operating inbound and outbound tours, and remove the requirement that foreign tourists must have received at least three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Tourism Bureau director-general Chang Shi-chung (張錫聰) said the ministry had agreed that the stimulus program would run from July 15 to December 15, rather than September 1 to October 31, and that the funds would apply. independent travellers, tour groups and amusement park visitors.

Independent travelers must receive subsidies for tours that include days between Sunday and Thursday, Chang said.

Subsidies will be in the amount of NT$800, with an additional NT$500 subsidy for those who have received three injections of a COVID-19 vaccine, for a total subsidy of NT$1,300 per night.

The hotel must be a star-rated hotel, a bike-friendly hotel, or a bed and breakfast recommended by the Taiwan Host Association.

Each person can only apply for the travel grant once, Chang said.

“Domestic travel and cross-border tourism will return to normal once we break through the pandemic plateau,” Chang said. “During the transition period, we are helping hotels and tourists follow disease prevention guidelines.”

Funding will be distributed on a “first come, first served” basis as the funding budget is limited, he said.

A group tour can receive up to NT$30,000 if it has more than 15 members, lasts at least three days, engages a guide who has no employer or is indigenous, and meets other special conditions specified by office.

People can get a 70% discount on admission fees if they visit an amusement park on a weekday, the office said.

Tourist bus operators who scored at least a “B” in the annual performance evaluation would receive NT$1,000-2,000 per day from the General Directorate of Highways if their buses were rented by tourist agencies. trip, with funding capped at three days, Chang says.