Hotel Businesses in Yilan Suffering Due to COVID-19 疫情衝擊觀光 宜蘭礁溪旅宿沒生意

Hotel businesses are once again taking a big blow. In Yilan, five-star hotels have announced to temporarily arrange for employees go on long leaves.  

The restaurant is empty. There are barely any cars or people on the streets. Hotels that are usually very popular in Jiaoxi Township of Yilan are now suffering tremendously with their businesses. Five-star hotels have announced to temporarily suspend restaurant services during the weekdays. Hotel Royal in Jiaoxi, for example, has announced to temporarily discontinue lunch buffets during the weekdays.

Hu Ya-ting, PR, Hotel Royal Jiaoxi: “Our buffets will not available during the week for now, because there are very few customers now. We don't want to be wasteful.”

Since the new COVID-19 surge started at the end of March, hotel bookings each month have been dropped to only 10 to 20 percent compared to the past. Hotel operators in Yilan predicted that matters would be worse in June if the pandemic does not get better. Hotel operators are crying for help from the government to lower house tax and land value tax during this difficult time.

Wang Wen-hsin, Chairperson, Yilan Association of Tourism: “I hope the government would be able to subsidize us like two years ago with employee salaries and house tax and land value tax.”

Li Tung-ju, Director, Business and Tourism Department, Yilan County: “If hotel operators run into a lot of trouble, we will do our best to communicate their difficulties to the central government. The county government and related agencies will also sit down with the operators and offer the necessary assistance.”

According to the Yilan County Government, 68 people got laid off in April. Nine of them were in the restaurant and hotel businesses, which accounts for about 13.2 percent of the total number of people that got laid off. So far, local authorities do not see large scale lay-offs or reduced shifts within the industry. The county government said they will continue to monitor developments, gather opinions and offer assistance whenever needed. 

整個餐廳空蕩蕩，幾乎沒有客人，礁溪街頭也鮮有人車。受疫情衝擊，宜蘭礁溪觀光旅宿一級戰區業者生意慘兮兮，知名五星級飯店自助餐廳接連宣布暫停平日供餐，礁溪老爺大酒店也貼出公告，宣布從昨日起，自助餐廳暫停供應平日午餐。

礁溪老爺酒店公關胡雅婷表示：「雲天自助餐廳在平日是沒有營業的，那這個部分也是因為遊客來的比較少，所以我們減少這樣子的浪費。」

根據業者統計，疫情從3月底至4月初爆發以來，每個月的住宿人數與一般正常的月份相比，只剩1至2成，如疫情未趨緩，預料下個月會更慘。業者疾呼公部門，能提供能提供房屋稅、地價稅減免等優惠，協助度過難關。

宜蘭縣觀光協會理事長王文新表示：「我希望政府可以給我們所謂的，包括員工的薪資補助，像兩年前的還有房屋稅、地價稅的所謂補助。」

宜蘭縣府工商旅遊處長李東儒表示：「如果業者這一個過程裡面有遭遇到相關的困難，我們也會持續想辦法反映給中央，或是與本府相關單位一起來研議，能夠適度予以協助。」

根據宜蘭縣府統計，宜蘭縣4月份總資遣人數共68人，旅宿與餐飲業人數僅9人，佔各行業類別約13.2％。宜蘭縣府說，縣內旅宿與餐飲業，尚未出現大量解雇與減班休息等情形，針對飯店旅宿業的營業狀況都有關心掌握，將蒐集相關意見，並研議協助方案。