Radio Taiwan International
Date: 31 July, 2020
By: John Van Trieste

The Penghu Islands are considering imposing a tourism tax on visitors to help prevent over-tourism and encourage environmental awareness. That’s as the number of tourists visiting the islands surges.

With COVID-19 putting international travel out of reach and the central government pushing domestic tourism, Penghu and other island destinations are filling up with travelers.

The Penghu Islands lie off the west coast of Taiwan proper, and they are used to busy summer tourist seasons. The islands are known for their sun, sand, and snorkeling as well as watersports and summer fireworks displays. But this year, the crowds are particularly large.

Penghu County tourism chief Chen Mei-ling says that more than 260,000 people poured into the islands between July 1 and 29. That’s a 20%-30% increase over the same period last year.    [FULL  STORY]