Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/12/01
By: Tai Ya-chen and Elizabeth Hsu
Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) The government will cancel subsidies to tour agencies serving the domestic
CNA file photo
market if they are found to offer customers “zero dollar” tour packages, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said on Thursday.
Hsu said such tour packages run counter to the intent of the government’s subsidy program, which was introduced to address the difficulties faced by local travel agencies in the wake of a fall off in the number of travelers from mainland China.
Last month the government announced it would provide subsidies worth NT$300 million (US$9.54 million) to businesses in the tourism sector that have suffered losses due to the steep decline in the number of Chinese tour groups and help them to produce tour packages aimed at local travelers.
However, since the subsidy program was launched, some of the target tour operators have reportedly been offering customers “free-of-charge” tour packages for those in tour groups, to boost the amount of subsidy to which the company is entitled. [FULL STORY]
