Want to travel but on a budget? This one's for you: Taiwan said it would pay selected tourists, including Filipinos, to visit the land of milk tea to boost its tourism post-pandemic.
About 500,000 international visitors can receive NT$5,000 (or about P9,000) each, Taiwan's tourism bureau director Chang Shi-chung said as reported by the Taipei Times on February 24. It will not be given all at once though, as it would be distributed through multiple tourism promotion events this 2023. This also means not all foreign tourists would receive it so be on the lookout for its promotional events.
“International tourists who are given NT$5,000 will not receive it until they arrive... It will be stored in an electronic ticketing card, which can be used to pay for food, accommodation, and other travel expenses during their time here.”
What You Need to Know About the Taiwan Tourist Allowance Program
The subsidy program is a way for Taiwan to attract six million international tourists to visit several parts of the island nation now that pandemic travel curbs have eased.
Aside from individual travelers, about 90,000 overseas tour groups can also receive a subsidy of NT$10,000 (about P18,000) if it has eight to 14 members, and NT$20,000 (about P35,800) for groups with more members.
Taiwan wants to attract tourists from Japan, South Korea, Europe, North America, and target countries of the New Southbound Policy, The latter includes the Philippines, Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Filipinos can travel visa-free to Taiwan until July 31, 2023. Except for those holding diplomatic or official/service passports, those with Philippine passports can stay there for up to 14 days.
* This story originally appeared on Spot.ph. Minor edits have been made by the Preview.ph editors.
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