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Following some of the longest lockdown restrictions in the world, Taiwan finally opened their borders for international travellers in 2022, and since then they are struggling to reach pre-covid levels of tourists coming into the country.

Now, the Taiwanese government has flighted the idea of offering holidaymakers cash rewards to come and have some R&R.

In 2019, Taiwan welcomed some 11.8 million visitors to their shores, but due to the fallout from Covid, and the restrictions placed on the local economy, those numbers fell to 900 000 in 2022. Now the government has set itself the ambitious target of 6 million tourists for 2023. One way of doing this is to offer these incentives.

As a sweetener, Taiwan will give handouts of $165 (R3 030) to 500,000 individual tourists. Allowances of up to $658 (R12 000) will also be provided to 90,000 tour groups.

The cash allowances will be given electronically and should go a long way towards helping with accommodation or food.

But don’t go running for the airport just yet. The government still has to decide when the plan will be implemented or how the money will be made available. For now, it might be worth checking flight prices. Hopefully, their tourist numbers can increase despite all the sabre rattling from China.

But that’s another story.

[source:cnn]