The government is planning to boost Taiwan’s sagging economy by promoting tourism in the second half of the year. That’s the word from National Development Council (NDC) Minister Woody Duh on Thursday.
Duh said that in order to attract more tourists from Southeast Asia, Taiwan will waive visa fees for high-end tour groups from India, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Another step will be to lower the amount tourists must spend to be eligible for a tax refund. The minimum amount will be lowered from US$100 to US$66 provided that purchases are made at the same location and on the same day. Duh said that the government will also come out with a digitized tax rebate program.
Duh said that the government has decided to raise the cap on the number of independent Chinese tourists allowed into Taiwan to 5,000 per day. The quota on Chinese tourists travelling to Taiwan proper by way of the off-shore islands of Kinmen and Matsu will also be eased.
It is estimated that the short-term measures will increase the number of visits made by Chinese tourists to 120,000 by the end of this year and boost Taiwan’s tourism revenues by NT$8.85 billion.