The Taiwanese government is granting the equivalent of $165 to individual tourists and up to $658 to tour groups entering this year under a yet-to-be-determined program to reach a goal of six million tourists in 2023.
According to CNN Travel, the country will draw more tourists to achieve its goal through cash prizes.
Tourists will receive their rewards digitally, and they can use the money to pay for anything in Taiwan, including lodging.
On February 23, the country’s Premier Chen Chien-jen unveiled the plan, adding that the target of six million travelers in 2023 will increase to ten million by 2025.
This goal is not entirely beyond the country’s reach. Rather, it is a long-term uphill climb on the road to recovery of the travel and tourism sector after the pandemic.
Inbound visitor figures provided by the Taiwan Tourism Authority show a sharp decline in the first two years following the COVID-19 outbreak, with the country welcoming 11.8 million tourists in 2019, breaking previous records for visitor numbers. Because COVID-19 closed borders worldwide, the country was able to allow only a limited number of people to enter in 2020 and 2021.
Only recently, in October 2022, were the borders reopened. In the past 12 months, the island nation welcomed 900,000 tourists.