Taiwan is planning to offer $165 cash rewards to around 500,000 tourists who choose to visit the country in an attempt to encourage tourism and boost the economy.
Announcing the news, the premier of Taiwan, Chen Chien-jen, said that by giving handouts to tourists, Taiwan aims to attract around six million tourists throughout this whole year.
The same stressed that apart from aiming to record a high number of arrivals this year, Taiwan also wants to double that figure in 2024 as well as reach ten million visitors by the year 2025, VisaGuide.World reports.
It is believed that the decision of Taiwan to offer cash handouts to tourists has to do with the rising airfares, which are making long-haul journeys difficult for many travelers.
Even though the amount that is planned to be given to each traveler is not that high and does not cover much, it is still expected that such a move will push more travelers to choose Taiwan as their new travel destination.
CNN Travel explains that apart from planning to give handouts of $165 to 500,000 tourists, Taiwan will also provide allowances of up to $658 to 90,000 group tours, attracting more tourists than ever.
Commenting on the matter, the Minister of Transport, Wang Kuo-tsai, said that the cash allowances for individual travelers, as well as group tours, will be delivered digitally. The minister further explained that the beneficiaries would be able to use the money to cover different expenses in Taiwan, including their accommodation.
Additionally, Minister WANG Kuo-tsai said that despite the country wishing to attract more visitors from all countries over the world, the measure is aimed to mainly attract visitors from key markets such as South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Macao, Southeast Asia, Europe, and America.
Data provided by Taiwan Tourism Bureau show that Taiwan recorded around 900,000 international tourist arrival in 2022, representing a sharp decline compared to 2019 when Taiwan recorded 11.8 million international tourist arrivals.
The number of tourist arrival in 2022 compared to 2019 remained low due to the COVID restrictions that Taiwan had in place. However, now that the country has officially lifted its entry rules, it wants to attract as many travelers as possible and reach the pre-pandemic figures.
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Similar to Taiwan, Hong Kong has also already taken measures to promote tourism. Hong Kong decided earlier this month to give away 500,000 airline tickets worth over $250 in a bid to attract more tourists.
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