The News Lens
Date: 2018/02/20
By: TNL Staff
Hualien’s county magistrate wants to use vouchers to lure in tourists.
Following the powerful earthquake on Feb. 6, 2018 that left 17 dead, Hualien County
photo credit: Reuters/達志影像
Magistrate Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁) called on the central government to make vouchers available to tourists in order to help the area rebuild.
Fu made the appeal on his Facebook page on Feb. 18, insinuating that the NT$60.5 million (US$2.07 million) promised by the central government to help in rebuilding efforts was not enough. He implored citizens to visit Hualien to pump more dollars into the local economy, which is heavily dependent on tourism.
The local economy is losing approximately NT$50 million per day.
In March 2009, Taiwan’s central government issued consumer vouchers worth NT$3600 (US$115) to each citizen to stimulate the local economy following the global financial crisis in 2008. [FULL STORY]