taiwan tourist money

• Side Hustles
• Power Players
• Young Success
• Save and Invest
• Become Debt-Free
• Land the Job
• Closing the Gap
• Science of Success
• Pop Culture and Media
• Psychology and Relationships
• Health and Wellness
• Real Estate
• Most Popular

Related Stories

• Food, Travel and Tech Japan is launching a digital nomad   visa—here's everything you need to know
• Food, Travel and Tech Tokyo, Bogota, Kuala Lumpur: Top 10 trending   global travel destinations for 2024
• Work 4 in-demand side hustles for 2024—one   pays as much as $150 per hour
• Food, Travel and Tech These are the 10 most welcoming cities   for 2024—only 1 is in the U.S.
• Life This 31-year-old spent $20,000 to   travel after he was laid off

Taiwan is paying tourists to visit—here's what you need to know

Many countries continue to struggle to bring back tourism on the scale that it was before the COVID-19 pandemic. Places like Hong Kong and regions in Italy have turned to offering free travel and even free houses to encourage people to visit and to help boost their economies.

The latest place on that list is Taiwan. The government is offering tourists 5,000 New Taiwan dollars (about $163 USD) per traveler or NT$20,000 (about $653 USD) for up to 90,000 tour groups.

According to The Points Guy , Chang Shi-chung, the director-general of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, said the money would be sent via a digital tourist card to ensure the funds go directly to Taiwan's tourism. Travelers will be able to use the cards for food, accommodation, and other travel expenses.

Taiwan is focusing on attracting more visitors from places like Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macao, Europe, and the U.S.

According to the Taiwan Tourism Bureau , it saw under 900,000 visitors in 2022 compared to a record 11.8 million international tourists in 2019 .

It's still unclear when and how Taiwan will start distributing the digital tourist cards, as the government hasn't yet released its plan.

DON'T MISS:  Want to be smarter and more successful with your money, work & life?  Sign up for our new newsletter !

Get CNBC's free  Warren Buffett Guide to Investing , which distills the billionaire's No. 1 best piece of advice for regular investors, do's and don'ts, and three key investing principles into a clear and simple guidebook.

Taiwan Tourist Giveaway: Full Guide & Winning Odds

The Taiwanese government have just introduced an incentive scheme called Lucky Land , with the aim of encouraging tourists to visit their beautiful country from mid 2023 until mid 2025.

Tourists visiting Taiwan between these dates have the chance to win one of 500,000 vouchers worth NT$5,000 (US$162) each on arrival, which can be redeemed during their stay.

When is it Running?

Who is eligible, how to register & claim, lucky land vouchers, what is your chance of winning.

Click link to go to the appropriate section on this p age

The incentive scheme starts at 12:00 noon on May 1st, 2023, and will run until June 30th 2025.

Anyone whose flight arrives in Taiwan between these dates, and has registered for Lucky Land will have a chance of winning.

The 500,000 vouchers will be split up and released in batches each year:

Click Here to Read my Comprehensive Guide to Taipei

Any independent traveller who doesn’t hold a Taiwanese (ROC) passport and is visiting Taiwan for between 3 and 90 days during the period it runs.

An independent traveller is defined as anyone not on a tour group, and have not applied for any group-related travel incentives.

So basically, it’s open to virtually all tourists.

If you’re travelling as a family or in your own group, then each one of you can apply separately – you just need to ensure you use a different email address for each application.

I have also received confirmation from the organisers of the giveaway that there is no minimum age requirement, so you can even use your children’s details – although they’ll need to have their own passport number.

Finally, if you’re visiting Taiwan multiple times during the period of the draw, it’s perfectly fine to re-enter the draw separately on each visit.

Visit their registration website to begin the process.

You can register between 1 and 7 days before your scheduled arrival date in Taiwan. It is not possible to register on the same day as your flight.

You must have already booked your flights before you register, as you’ll need to enter your flight details along with the following:

• Nationality
• Passport Number
• Arrival and Departure Flight Numbers
• Arrival and Departure Dates
• Email Address

You will also need to specify which type of voucher you would like to receive. See the ‘ Lucky Land Vouchers ‘ section below for further details about these.

Once you’ve registered, you’ll be sent a QR code to the specified email address.

When you arrive in Taiwan , make your way to the arrival hall at any of these airports:

• Taoyuan International Airport (Terminals 1 and 2)
• Songshan International Airport
• Taichung International Airport
• Kaohsiung International Airport

Locate the Lucky Land prize redemption area ( visit this page for exact locations ) and scan your QR code to see if you’ve won.

If you’re a winner, you’ll need to supply them with the following documents:

• Boarding Pass (don’t throw this away!)
• Electronic Round-Trip Air Ticket

and they will immediately give you your NT$5,000 worth of vouchers!

There are 3 types of vouchers you can receive:

• E-Ticket EasyCard
• E-Ticket iPass
• Accommodation Vouchers

You must specify which type of voucher you want when registering

Both the EasyCard and iPass e-vouchers offer similar incentives. These are smart cards that can be used in many locations, including most types of transportation, convenience stores, some supermarkets, malls and restaurants, and many other attractions including museums and Taipei Zoo.

Click here for a full list of applicable places to use an EasyCard Click here for a full list of applicable places to use an iPass

You are limited by the amount you can spend with these – NT$1,500 for a single purchase and a maximum of NT$3,000 for same-day purchases. The e-voucher card may not be topped up, refunded, or returned, so you should try to use it up.

The Accommodation vouchers can be used to book rooms at participating hotels and B&Bs around Taiwan. You must book your stay from each hotel website (and not a third-party site such as Booking.com).

Click here for a full list of participating hotels along with links for each hotel website

You will be given 5 vouchers worth NT$1,000 each which can be used separately or together.

Which Type of Voucher Should you Get?

I don’t really understand how you can take advantage of the accommodation vouchers as you’ll have most likely already booked your stay, unless you only book your initial stay and keep your options open just in case you win.

If you decide to get the e-vouchers, you won’t have any trouble spending your NT$5,000 quota, even if you’re only in Taiwan for 3 days.

Personally, I would recommend getting an EasyCard as they’re the most widely accepted smart card in Taiwan.

Click here to read my guide on the EasyCard

Before the pandemic struck, Taiwan saw a record number of visitors during 2019 – with almost 12 million tourists.

However, since it’s re-opening in 2022, Taiwan has struggled to get tourists returning – hence why they’ve introduced this scheme, with which they’re hoping to attract up to 6 million tourists during 2023.

Now let’s do some very rough Maths.

Assuming that around 2 millions of these will visit before 1st May, when the tourist incentive scheme isn’t available, and then of the remaining 4 million, maybe half of these aren’t aware of the scheme and don’t register (which is a very conservative estimate), then that leaves 2 million.

If there are 250,000 vouchers available, you have about a 1 in 8 chance of winning. If there are more of you, then those odds will significantly improve.

This is for 2023 only, so in 2024 when there are only 150,000 vouchers available for the entire year, and 2025 when there are only 100,000 vouchers for 6 months, the odds will become worse by up to three-fold.

In other words, try to get to Taiwan in 2023. Not only do you have a good chance of getting some extra spending money, but you’ll also get to enjoy this beautiful country and the many delights it has to offer!

If you have found the information on this page helpful, please take a minute to share this post. Your support would be greatly appreciated :)

Copyright © 2024 | MH Magazine WordPress Theme by MH Themes

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Sweepstakes

Taiwan Introduces Plan to Attract Tourists — by Paying Them

The new incentive program comes as the government aims to draw in six million tourists in 2023 and then 10 million tourists by 2025.

kecl/GETTY IMAGES

Taiwan is looking to boost its tourism numbers, and will hand out cash to visitors as an incentive to come.

The island will hand out NT $5,000 (or about $166) to 500,000 individual tourists along with up to NT $20,000 (or about $667) to 90,000 tour groups, CNN reported . The money will be given out digitally after tourists arrive, according to the Taipei Times , and can be used to cover expenses while in Taiwan , including for food or accommodation.

However, travelers looking to plan a trip may want to hold tight since it was not immediately clear when the money would be issued or how to apply for it, according to CNN .

“The money will be given out through multiple tourism promotion events this year, rather than giving it all out at once,” Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung said, according to the Taipei Times . “As such, not all international tourists would receive it.“

The new incentive program comes as the government aims to draw in six million tourists in 2023 and then 10 million tourists by 2025, CNN noted.

Transport Minister Wang Kuo-tsai said the island hopes to use the incentive to bring in visitors from key markets, including Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macao, Europe, and America.

Taiwan welcomes travelers, including from the United States, without the need to test for COVID-19 before their trip, according to the American Institute in Taiwan . The country also dropped quarantine rules in October and eased mask rules in December.

Taiwan isn’t the first destination to pay tourists to visit. In 2021, Malta introduced a scheme to pay tourists to stay in hotels there, and last year, a region in Italy’s northeastern corner chose to cover traveler’s train fare in an effort to promote sustainable travel.

On the other hand, several destinations have introduced plans to collect tourist fees , including Thailand , Venice , and Europe as a whole.

Taiwan the Lucky Land

Eligibility.

• Campaign Rules
• How to Join
• Register Now Register for the lucky draw Search registration information
• Travel Prizes E-ticket-iPass E-ticket-EasyCard E-ticket-icash2.0 Accommodation vouchers
• back home page
• switch language 中文 日本語 한국어

• 12 pm on May 1, 2023 to June 30, 2025
• Foreign independent travelers who hold foreign (non-ROC) passports, have stays in Taiwan of 3-90 days, are not members of tour groups, and are not applying for any group-related ROC travel incentives.

Lucky Draw Method

• Campaign Rules Section Who can participate in the lucky draw?
• Campaign Rules Section How do I enter the lucky draw?
• How to Join Section When does registration begin?

System message

Awesome, you're subscribed!

Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon!

The best of Hong Kong for free.

Sign up for our email to enjoy Hong Kong without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush).

Déjà vu! We already have this email. Try another?

By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions.

• Things to Do
• Food & Drink
• Shopping & Style
• Coca-Cola Foodmarks
• Restaurants
• Music & Nightlife
• Los Angeles

Get us in your inbox

🙌 Awesome, you're subscribed!

Taiwan government is giving away NT$5,000 travel vouchers to tourists

Here's everything you need to know

Planning for a trip to Taiwan? Well, you're in luck as the Taiwan government has just announced that they will be dishing out travel vouchers (much like our consumption voucher scheme , but travel edition) with the aim to boost tourism and attract foreign visitors to the country. Here's what you need to know:

What is it?

Starting May 1, 2023 (12pm), the Taiwan Tourism Bureau will be distributing 500,000 vouchers worth NT$5,000 each (approximately HK$1,280) as travel incentives for tourists visiting Taiwan. The vouchers will be given out through a lucky draw system and will run all the way through to June 30, 2025. The first 250,000 vouchers will be given out in 2023, while the remaining 150,000 vouchers will be distributed in 2024, and 100,000 vouchers in 2025.

Who is eligible?

Independent travellers who do not hold a ROC (Republic of China) passport and are staying in Taiwan for three to 90 days are eligible. However, this does not apply to those travelling in tour groups. In other words, Hong Kong residents holding a Hong Kong passport can participate!

How do I enter the lucky draw?

The rules are simple. Those who are eligible can register online one to seven days prior to their arrival date in Taiwan on a designated government website (5000.taiwan.net.tw). Registration begins on April 28 at 12pm – but remember, the lucky draw only starts from May 1, 12pm onwards.

Participants must fill in the necessary travel information and choose the type of vouchers they would like to receive (electronic tickets or accommodation discount vouchers). A QR code for the lucky draw will be sent to you via email upon successful registration.

On the day of arrival in Taiwan, participants can head to the lucky draw event area located at the arrival halls in one of four Taiwan airports: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei Songshan Airport, Taichung International Airport, and Kaohsiung International Airport.

How do I collect my prize?

Lucky winners may head to the airport's redemption area and provide relevant documents – including their entry stamp, boarding pass, and an electronic copy of their round-trip tickets – to redeem their prize.

How can I use the travel vouchers?

Those who have chosen to claim their prize in the form of electronic tickets may store the money on an EasyCard or iPass and spend them at designated merchants. Each transaction limit is NT$5,000, while the maximum usage per day is NT$3,000.

Meanwhile, winners who have opted for accommodation discounts will receive five vouchers worth NT$1,000 each. The vouchers can only be used once by the winner at hotels with tourist hotel business licenses and commercial hotels or hostels with registered licenses. The vouchers can not be reused or resold.

Recommended stories:

The world’s first Transformers-themed restaurant opens in Causeway Bay

Hong Kong Airport opens its first checkout-free convenience store

Cathay Pacific is giving away over 27,000 round-trip flight tickets to fly out of Hong Kong

Follow us on  Youtube ,  Facebook , and  Instagram , or  subscribe to our  newsletter  for the latest news and updates on what's going on in the city.

• Cara Hung City Life Editor
• Jenny Leung Digital Editor

Share the story

An email you’ll actually love

Discover Time Out original video

An email you'll actually love

• Press office
• Investor relations
• Work for Time Out
• Editorial guidelines
• Privacy notice
• Do not sell my information
• Cookie policy
• Accessibility statement
• Terms of use
• Modern slavery statement
• Manage cookies
• Sign up to our newsletter
• Advertising
• Express Advertising
• Time Out Market

Time Out products

• Time Out Worldwide

Time Out magazine

• Print edition
• Digital edition

Taiwan to pay tourists to visit

Looking for a bargain long-haul trip this year? Head to Taiwan, where plans are afoot to actually pay travelers to come over.

Taiwanese officials are looking to offer a financial incentive of 5,000 New Taiwan dollars (about $164) per traveler or NT$20,000 ($654) for group tours in a bid to help boost flagging tourist levels.

Some half a million foreign vacationgoers are set to benefit from the plan, which was designed to help the government reach its goal of 6 million visitors by year's end.

Taiwan only fully reopened its borders last October due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has subsequently failed to attract even a tenth of the number of tourists compared to years prior. As a result, officials are now spending money to make money.

How will it work?

Chang Shi-chung, director-general of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, said the financial package will be sent digitally to a type of tourist card, ensuring all the cash will go directly back into the country's tourism sector.

"International tourists who are given NT$5,000 will not receive it until they arrive," Chang explained. "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."

Related: Taiwan's Starlux Airlines will start flying to the US in April

There's still no information on when or where these cash amounts will be handed over to travelers, just that it will be distributed via a number of "promotional events" this year.

The very fact we're writing this, and you're reading this, means, at least on the marketing side of things, Taiwan has found a smart way to tell the world that it's open for business. Whether this will translate into the 10 million tourists it hopes to snare by 2025 remains to be seen.

It's not the first Asian destination to throw money at dwindling tourist numbers either. Last month, Hong Kong revealed it was giving away half a million free airline tickets in a bid to win back visitors in a project dubbed "Hello Hong Kong."

How far will the cash amount go?

Pretty far, actually. Living costs in this part of Asia are cheaper than in many of its bigger neighbors; a weeklong escape could cost you less than the same time spent in many European destinations.

In Taiwan's capital Taipei, you can find five-star hotel rooms for about $84 per night in June for two people. Although perhaps a truer reflection of how far your dollars will go is via the "Big Mac index," which has the hallowed meat sandwich priced at $2.50 in Taiwan compared to the average cost of $6.05 in the U.S. — (junk) food for thought.

Why has Taiwan's tourism dried up?

The move comes at a time of increasing uncertainty in a travel market still suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Annual visitor numbers were around 11.8 million before the pandemic but had dwindled to just 9,000 last year.

This could have a dramatic toll on businesses, including hotels, airlines, restaurants and leisure companies throughout the country.

Another possible reason for a dwindling travel market could be escalating tensions between China and Taiwan. The tensions have prompted warnings from the U.S. to China against a possible invasion.

Just this week, 25 Chinese warplanes and three warships were spotted off Taiwan's mainland in the latest provocation to cause geopolitical ripple effects.

This doesn't mean you shouldn't visit Taiwan — far from it. The U.S. Department of State gives Taiwan a " Level 1 " travel advisory, which advises "normal precautions" for travel.

Bottom line

Let's be honest, unless you had already planned to explore this delightful corner of Asia in 2023, a $164 subsidy probably won't be enough to sway you into paying a visit when a flight could cost three or four times that.

However, if you aren't one of the half a million tourists to benefit from the campaign, you can console yourself with incredible food and scenery.

The Straits Times

• International
• Print Edition
• news with benefits
• SPH Rewards
• STClassifieds
• Berita Harian
• Hardwarezone
• Shin Min Daily News
• SRX Property
• Tamil Murasu
• The Business Times
• The New Paper
• Lianhe Zaobao
• Advertise with us

Taiwan launches website to gift 500,000 tourists stored-value smartcards, hotel vouchers from May 1

In a bid to restore the flow of foreign visitors to its shores, Taiwan will in May offer digital smartcards stored with NT$5,000 (S$218) or vouchers of the same value for hotel stays to offset some travellers’ expenses.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s Singapore office said on Monday that 500,000 foreign visitors will receive the vouchers or cards through a lucky draw system when they enter Taiwan at any of the four participating airports on the island starting from noon on May 1.

Tourists will have to pre-register for the draw at least one day before they arrive at either the Taoyuan or Songshan airports that serve capital Taipei, or the Taichung and Kaohsiung international airports.

According to a tourism bureau official, tourists intending to participate will receive a designated QR code after they register at 5000.taiwan.net.tw , which went live on Friday.

The QR code will serve as their lucky draw coupon, which travellers will have to scan at the airport’s arrival hall to find out if they are one of 500,000 winners.

Prize winners can then choose to receive either vouchers to offset some of their accommodation costs or a smartcard, both valued at NT$5,000.

Those who opt for the vouchers, which come in denominations of NT$1,000, can use them at more than 450 participating hotels islandwide.

The smartcards will be variants of Taiwan’s EasyCard (you you ka in Mandarin) or iPass (yi ka tong), the equivalents of Singapore’s ez-link card, that travellers can use for public transport, shopping and dining.

A spokesman for the tourism bureau said 250,000 vouchers have been allocated for 2023, leaving 150,000 more to be won in 2024 and the remaining 100,000 for 2025. The promotion will end by June 30, 2025, or when the last voucher has been given out that year.

Visitors on cruises and agency-arranged tours are not eligible for these vouchers.

Local and foreign tour agencies, however, will be able to access subsidies up to NT$50,000 (S$2,180) provided by the tourism bureau when they bring groups who stay for at least two nights in Taiwan.

Tour agency CTC Travel said in response to queries from The Straits Times on Wednesday it was looking into giving “perks” to travellers booking a Taiwan tour in the form of discounts and travel insurance, but was waiting for more concrete details on implementation from the tourism bureau.

The tourism financial incentives were approved on March 24 as part of the government’s NT$380 billion post-pandemic economic recovery package, said Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications on April 18.

The island ushered in the first wave of revenge travellers after its post-pandemic border opening in October 2022.

Taiwan is looking to attract up to six million foreign visitors in 2023, the tourism bureau’s deputy director-general Trust Lin said in March, adding that an estimated one million visitors had arrived in the first three months of the year.

In the three years before the pandemic, Taiwan averaged about 11.2 million overseas visitors a year, but those numbers plummeted to around 1.38 million in 2020, 141,000 in 2021 and 895,000 last year, according to The Taipei Times.

Taiwan has been a popular tourist destination for travellers from Singapore, with 460,000 registered visitors to the island in 2019, before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mr Kevin Tay, 32, who spent seven days with his family on the island in December, said Taiwan is always on his list of places to visit.

“If the claim process for the vouchers is simple, I would definitely be swayed by the incentives,” said the businessman, who stayed at a resort in Hsinchu during his last trip.

Mr Joseph Cheng, director of the Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s Singapore office, said on Monday that tourism receipts in 2023 have been encouraging.

“The number of tourists to Taiwan in January and February has exceeded 50 per cent of the same period in 2019, so the overall situation is good,” he told The Straits Times.

He added that the bureau was aiming for around 230,000 visitors from Singapore in 2023, about half of 2019’s numbers.

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

• Travel and leisure

Read 3 articles and stand to win rewards

Spin the wheel now

• Latest Latest
• The West The West
• Sports Sports
• Opinion Opinion
• Magazine Magazine

Taiwan is paying people to come visit

The government is also offering cash incentives to hotels to get more workers in the hospitality business.

By Sarah Gambles

If you’ve ever wanted to visit Taiwan, now might be your perfect opportunity. The Asian country is offering a cash incentive to tourists who come.

Taiwan’s government is offering $165 to up to 500,000 individual tourists to increase tourism to the island. Taiwan’s Premier Chen Chien-jen announced that the government hopes “to attract six million tourists in 2023, doubling that figure in 2024 and aiming for 10 million visitors by 2025,” CNN Travel reported.

Tour groups could receive up to $658.

“The money will be given out through multiple tourism promotion events this year, rather than giving it all out at once,” Taiwan Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung said, per Taipei Times . “As such, not all international tourists would receive it.“

To address hotel work shortages, the government also announced it would provide monthly cash incentives for each new staff member hired, per Taipei Times .

The announcement did not include how to apply or when the incentive would start.

Do other countries offer cash incentives to visit?

Taiwan is not the first place to offer a cash incentive to come visit. In 2021, Malta announced it would “pay each visitor who books a three-night stay directly with select three- to five-star hotels on a scaled basis,” according to Travel + Leisure .

Malta offered to pay $119 per person for every five-star booking, $89 for 4-star hotels and $60 to each visitor staying at a three-star hotel.

Hong Kong announced earlier this month it would cover airfare for 500,000 tourists.

Here’s how to apply for the free Hong Kong flights

The flight giveaways will take place in three rounds, as follows:

• March 1: Southeast Asians can apply for tickets.
• April 1: Mainland China residents can apply.
• May 1: All international tourists can apply for the tickets.
• July 1: Hong Kong residents can apply for the “make up for lost travel time” flights the government is offering to locals, according to CNN .

• Subscribe Now

Paid to travel? Taiwan may pay international tourists to visit soon

Already have Rappler+? Sign in to listen to groundbreaking journalism.

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

Shutterstock

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story said the payment to international tourists has been approved. This has been corrected.

MANILA, Philippines – Revenge travel season doesn’t get any better than this! Taiwan’s government is considering the tourism bureau’s plans to provide monetary allowances to international tourists, as reported by Taipei Times on February 23.

The proposal is an allowance of NT$5,000 per person (approximately P9,000) will be given to 500,000 tourists when they travel to the country, as a way to boost Taiwan’s tourism.

Additionally, those traveling in groups can also receive cash incentives from the government. Groups of 8 to 14 tourists can receive NT$10,000 (around P17,900), and groups with more members can receive NT$20,000 (around P35,800). Up to 90,000 groups can enjoy the allowances.

Tourists chosen to have allowances will receive the amount upon arriving in Taiwan. Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung explained that the stipend will be provided digitally.

“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,” Chang said.

Chang noted that the money will not be given all at once to travelers but will be distributed throughout multiple tourism promotion events.  

The bureau’s plans are in line with Taiwan’s goal of boosting tourism, with a target of welcoming 6 million international visitors in 2023. The program has an allocated budget of NT$5.3 billion (P9.5 billion). The bureau is primarily targeting to attract tourists from Japan, South Korea, Europe, and North America. 

Filipinos are also qualified to receive the incentives as the program covers countries under Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. Other eligible countries include Australia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and many more. 

On Friday afternoon, March 3, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines told Rappler that as of this writing, the proposal was still under review and has not been finalized yet. The official guidelines will be posted on its official website once confirmed. – with reports from Charlene Enriquez/Rappler.com

Charlene Enriquez is a Rappler intern.

Add a comment

Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines .

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

How does this make you feel?

Related Topics

Recommended stories, {{ item.sitename }}, {{ item.title }}, global tourism, how to plan a trip to india, including new delhi, agra, and jaipur.

How to plan a trip to Myanmar, including a tour of Bagan’s ancient temples

How to plan a trip to Laos, from Luang Prabang to Vientiane

Ganbatte! This Japan bucket list is your next travel challenge

[ANALYSIS] Why airport ‘surot’ and Taylor Swift matter

Mother Nature knows best! Asia’s top 9 nature destinations according to WWF, Agoda

[WATCH] #ShareAsia: Winter flower viewing at Hasedera in Kamakura, Japan

WATCH: The Chocolate Hills controversy in 1 minute

Beat the heat! Visit 4 hidden paradises in Occidental Mindoro this summer

[WATCH] A tour of Sagbayan Peak amid Chocolate Hills resort controversy

Checking your Rappler+ subscription...

Upgrade to Rappler+ for exclusive content and unlimited access.

Why is it important to subscribe? Learn more

You are subscribed to Rappler+

Taiwan announces plan to pay tourists to visit

Hong Kong campaign to give away over 500,000 plane tickets in bid to revive tourism

‘MVP’ Jeremy Lin ties P. League assists record in Taiwan debut, breaks team’s losing streak

Here are the places in Asia you need to visit in 2023, according to The New York Times 

• Happening Now
• San Francisco
• Los Angeles
• Orange County
• About NextShark
• AAPI Resources

Subscribe to NextShark's Newsletter

We value your privacy.

We use cookies to analyze the traffic of TaiwanPlus to improve our service. Click here to find out more about TaiwanPlus's privacy policy.

Like what you see?

Download TaiwanPlus App now!

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

Thailand records 9.4 mln tourists in first 3 months, $12.4 billion in spending, government says

The Reuters Daily Briefing newsletter provides all the news you need to start your day. Sign up here.

Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpant; Writing by Martin Petty

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. , opens new tab

One dead, four injured in post-election violence in southeast Turkey

The brother of an opposition candidate was killed and four other people injured in clashes between opponents and supporters of the newly elected ruling-party mayor of a city district in a predominantly Kurdish region of southeastern Turkey.

Here's who could be responsible for paying for the Baltimore bridge disaster

• The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed after a container ship collided with it.
• Several entities could be on the hook to foot the bill in the aftermath of the disaster.
• The maritime insurance industry will likely be saddled with the highest costs. 

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed on Tuesday after a large container ship ran into it, leading to six presumed deaths and millions of dollars in possible damage.

It's still too early to estimate the total economic impact of the disaster, but between the cost of rebuilding the decades-old bridge, compensating the victims' families , and paying out damages for disruptions to the supply chain, the eventual cost of the disaster is expected to be significant.

Who will pay to rebuild the bridge?

President Joe Biden said on Tuesday the federal government should be responsible for paying to reconstruct the damaged Francis Scott Key Bridge.

"It is my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect Congress to support my effort," Biden said.

The bridge was built in the 1970s for about $60 million, but the cost of rebuilding it could be 10 times its original price tag, an engineering expert told Sky News. 

Baltimore is among the busiest ports in the nation , with more than a million shipping containers passing through each year. The collapse — which closed the port to all maritime and most road traffic until further notice — is already beginning to wreak havoc on the supply chain.

The cost of building the bridge back fast enough to offset diversions as much as possible could saddle the government with a more than $600 million bill, David MacKenzie, the chair of the engineering and architecture consultancy COWIfonden, told Sky News.

Who will pay for damages to the ship and its cargo?

The container ship, the Dali , is owned by a Singapore-based firm. The ship's charterer, Maersk, confirmed to Business Insider that vessel company Synergy Group operates the ship. 

However, the companies with cargo aboard the Dali could ultimately be responsible for some of the ship's damages and cargo costs, according to Ryan Petersen , the CEO of the supply-chain-logistics company Flexport, which had two containers on the ship.

Related stories

The Dali was carrying 330 containers that must now be rerouted, Petersen said in an X thread.

An ancient maritime law known as " general average " dictates that companies with even a single container aboard a ship split certain damages pro rata based on the number of containers they had on board, ensuring all the stakeholders benefiting from the voyage are splitting the risk, Petersen said.

General average situations can occur when a ship is stranded or when cargo is damaged or thrown overboard to save the vessel, according to Flexport . The concept helps ensure that all parties who have a vested interest in the vessel share the cost and concern of protecting it.

It's too soon to know whether damages incurred to free the Dali in the coming days will qualify as a case of general average.

Who will pay for everything else?

The majority of the financial fallout is likely to lay primarily with the insurance industry, according to media reports.

Industry experts told the Financial Times that insurers could pay out losses for bridge damage, port disruption, and any loss of life.

The collapse could drive "one of the largest claims ever to hit the marine (re)insurance market," John Miklus, the president of the American Institute of Marine Underwriters, told Insurance Business.

He told the outlet that the loss of revenue from tolls while the bridge is being rebuilt will be expensive, as will any liability claims from deaths or injuries.

The Dali is covered by the Britannia Steam Ship Insurance Association Ltd., known as Britannia P&I Club, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.

In a statement to Business Insider, Britannia said it was "working closely with the ship manager and relevant authorities to establish the facts and to help ensure that this situation is dealt with quickly and professionally."

Britannia is one of 12 mutual insurers included in the International Group of P&I Clubs, which maintains more than $3 billion of reinsurance cover, sources familiar with the matter told Insurance Business.

Britannia itself is liable for the first $10 million in damages, both FT and Insurance Business reported. Whatever remains is dealt with by the wider mutual insurance group and Lloyd's of London, a reinsurance market in the UK, the FT reported.

Update: March 28, 2024 — This story has been updated to include additional information about general average and clarify that it is too soon to know whether general average will apply in the case of the Dali.

Watch: The container ship that destroyed the Francis Scott Key Bridge has crashed before

• Main content

Thailand Records 9.4 Million Tourists in First 3 Months, $12.4 Billion in Spending, Government Says

Colourful umbrellas are seen in a restaurant as tourists enjoy a beach in the island of Phuket in Thailand January 19, 2023. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

(Reuters) - Thailand recorded 9.4 million foreign tourists in the first three months of this year, who contributed an estimated 454.6 billion baht ($12.4 billion) to the economy in spending, the tourism ministry said on Tuesday.

Thailand is targeting a record of 40 million tourists this year, a figure close to that of pre-pandemic 2019.

(Reporting by Panarat Thepgumpant; Writing by Martin Petty)

Copyright 2024 Thomson Reuters .

Tags: Asia , Thailand

The Best Financial Tools for You

Credit Cards

Personal Loans

Comparative assessments and other editorial opinions are those of U.S. News and have not been previously reviewed, approved or endorsed by any other entities, such as banks, credit card issuers or travel companies. The content on this page is accurate as of the posting date; however, some of our partner offers may have expired.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter to get investing advice, rankings and stock market news.

See a newsletter example .

You May Also Like

9 of the best reits to buy for 2024.

Wayne Duggan April 2, 2024

5 Sectors Disrupted by AI as a Service

Marc Guberti April 2, 2024

6 Best Cryptocurrencies to Buy

John Divine April 2, 2024

Growth Funds to Buy and Hold

Tony Dong April 2, 2024

Will the Stock Market Crash

Brian O'Connell April 1, 2024

10 of the Best-Performing 401(k) Funds

Coryanne Hicks April 1, 2024

Bridge Collapse Disrupts Coal Trade

Matt Whittaker April 1, 2024

2024's 10 Best-Performing Stocks

Wayne Duggan April 1, 2024

Best REIT ETFs to Buy and Hold for 2024

Glenn Fydenkevez March 29, 2024

9 Highest Dividend Stocks in the S&P 500

Jeff Reeves March 29, 2024

5 of the Best Stocks to Buy Now

Ian Bezek March 29, 2024

Handling Extra Portfolio Risk

Kate Stalter March 29, 2024

7 Best Copper Stocks to Buy

Glenn Fydenkevez March 28, 2024

11 New Spot Bitcoin ETFs to Buy in 2024

Tony Dong March 28, 2024

Is M&A Activity Set to Spike in 2024?

Scott Ward March 28, 2024

7 Oversold Tech Stocks to Buy

Wayne Duggan March 28, 2024

7 Top Gene-Editing Stocks to Buy

Wayne Duggan March 27, 2024

7 Best Preferred Stock ETFs to Buy Now

Tony Dong March 27, 2024

Fixed Index Annuity Is Making a Comeback

Marguerita Cheng March 27, 2024

9 Growth Stocks for the Next 10 Years

Jeff Reeves March 27, 2024