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進入《TAIPEI TIMES》 Minister defends spring travel subsidy program
Township representatives attend a Tourism Bureau news conference in Taipei yesterday for the Small Town Ramble campaign, which promotes tours to 40 “charismatic” towns nationwide. Photo: CNA
AGREE TO DISAGREE: Asked about a proposal to end subsidies on the online public participation forum, the minister said people having different views is inevitable
By Shelley Shan / Staff reporter
Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung （林佳龍） yesterday defended the government’s provision of a spring travel subsidy, saying that it facilitates the process of placemaking and encourages young people to explore small towns.
Lin made the remark at a media conference organized by the Tourism Bureau to mark the beginning of the Small Town Ramble campaign, through which the bureau is promoting tours to 40 carefully selected “charismatic” towns nationwide.
While the bureau is using the campaign and the spring travel subsidy program to boost domestic tourism, some people have proposed suspending the subsidies on the government’s online public policy participation platform.
Asked about the proposal, Lin said that Taiwan is a society with diverse public opinions, and it is inevitable for people to have different views on the matter.
However, Lin said that responses to the government’s winter and spring travel subsidy programs have been encouraging, adding that the bureau would find ways to increase the effectiveness of the programs and close loopholes.
The programs are supported by Nantou County Commissioner Lin Ming-chen （林明溱） and other local government officials, who have voluntarily agreed to provide bonuses in addition to the subsidies, Lin Chia-lung said.
The ministry has promised to use the resources wisely and build on past foundations to make domestic tourism a locomotive for economic growth in every city and county, the minister said.
Separately, when asked about negotiations between EVA Airways and the Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union, the minister said that both parties are willing to sit down and discuss their requests.
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications hopes that the two sides can continue to communicate over unresolved issues, he said.
“Hopefully, we do not have to get to the step [of a labor strike],” he added.
In related news, the number of people traveling between Kinmen County and China via the “small three links” in the first quarter of this year grew 18 percent year-on-year, Kinmen County Government data released on Monday showed.
A total of 483,722 people traveled between Kinmen and China’s Fujian Province in the first three months of the year, an increase from 408,053 in the same period a year earlier, the Kinmen County Tourism Department said, citing National Immigration Agency statistics.
The number of travelers last month alone totaled 171,197, up 24.49 percent from 137,520 a year earlier, it said.
Among them, there were 92,411 Taiwanese travelers, up 11.4 percent from 82,885 a year earlier, while there were 74,882 Chinese visitors, up 47.65 percent from 50,715 a year earlier, it added.
With the increasing number of travelers, the county hopes to increase the rate of overnight stays in Kinmen to further improve the quality of their visits and boost tourism revenue, department Director Ting Chien-kang （丁健剛） said.
Additional reporting by CNA
新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES
%http://www.taipeitimes.com/
The Lishan Guest House on Lishan is pictured in Taichung in an undated photograph. The hotel announced that it would offer more travel discounts and a backpacker package. Photo courtesy of the Lishan Guest House
