Transportation Ministry＆Banks to Launch Loans for Hotels|交部救觀光協調百億貸款"紓困"旅宿業

發布時間：2019/9/6 17:25 更新時間：2019/9/6 18:51

Jake Chen

The tourism industry has been a slump lately. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications have increased the amount of subsidies for the industry, it also announced that the Tourism Bureau will work with local banks to launch loans totaling NT$10 billion for those who run hotels and accommodations. Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung said he hopes the measures are enough to help boost the industry. However, some scholars believes that the subsidies are enough to sustain the tourism industry in the currently lukewarm economy.

Staff members at this business hotel are busy cleaning the room after the customers checked out. Though the hotel has a relatively steady stream of visitors, the drastic reduction in the total number of Chinese tourists and the low cost competition in the market has led to a drop in occupancy rates. The supply outpaces demand in all the hotels across Taiwan, and many hotels are operating on loans.

Our members need to take out loans (to maintain operation of the hotels). However, the banks are hesitant since they see that less Chinese tourists are coming to the hotels.

In an effort to help hotels, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications have worked with local banks to release NT$10 billion in loans to help the hotel owners. The loan will be in place as early as this month. The deadline for applying the loan is set at the end of 2021. The Tourism Bureau has put in NT$500 million as collateral. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said that this will be one of their several upcoming measures that aim to help boost the tourism industry.

We are hoping to help the tourism industry. Apart from the policies that we already have in place, we will implement short-term measures to help tourism industry professionals go through the difficult time.

If we can't expand the tourism industry and attract more visitors in the near future, these hotels will be worse and worse in financial shape and they won't be able to pay back the loans.

A scholar on the tourism industry said that if the tourism industry doesn't turn it around any time soon, releasing loans won't be enough to get the tourism professionals out of the current pinch. Many professionals also said that, although the subsidies could help alleviate their loss to some degree, they hope the government would market the industry more on the global stage and enforce regulations on those who run hotels illegally.

一早客人退房，房務員忙著清理，這家位在南港展覽館附近的老字號商旅，住客都是商務人士，儘管有穩定客源，但受中國觀光客不來，整體市場削價競爭影響，住房率還是略微下滑，全台旅宿業目前供過於求，而很多業者都還在揹貸款，雪上加霜

新北市旅館公會理事長曾美絹表示：「我們的會員，他就是要貸款，結果就是因為他們(銀行)，認為說你們現在陸客沒來，你們生意有受影響，所以這個部分，他們可能就會比較有一些考量。」

為紓困業者，交通部計畫增訂"振興旅宿業融資相對信用保證要點"，協調銀行團針對旅宿業專案貸款，總額度約新台幣100億元，最快本月上路，申請時間將持續到2021年底，由觀光局提供五億元來擔保，交通部強調，這只是多項觀光政策之一，希望標本兼治。

交通部長林佳龍表示：「這個就是標本兼治，我們是有整體的觀光政策，但是短期也必須要幫助，困難的觀光業者度過難關。」

世新大學觀光系教授陳家瑜表示：「如果在短時間之內，或是未來一定的時間之內，我們沒有辦法把市場做大，我們沒有辦法帶來更多的客源，那麼這些旅宿業的財務狀況，如果每下愈況的話，他仍然是沒有辦法去還這些貸款。」

觀光學者直言，若是短期內，觀光大環境仍然不佳，光靠紓困貸款，也很難解決業者困境，旅宿業者也認為，補助僅雖有止血效果，但仍盼望政府加強國際行銷，同時，也要落實國內非法旅宿的稽查。