Taiwan is ending the mandatory quarantine for arrivals starting Oct. 13 and the travel industry is already receiving tons of traveler bookings. Among those destinations, Japan tops as most on demand. However, travelers are facing skyrocketing fares after the panedemic.
Starting Oct. 13, Taiwan's border controls will be relaxed by lifting the quarantine mandate and enforcing seven-day self-initiated epidemic prevention. Many people are starting to plan for long overdue international travel. The travel industry reports that the most popular destination now among those confirmed bookings is still Japan, constituting about 50 percent of total bookings. Long-distance travel such as to Europe also constitutes about 20 percent, while there are some reservations in Southeast Asia, Turkey, and South Korea. It appears that people's favored travel destinations remain the same as before the pandemic.
Shan Fong, Travel Industry Business Owner: “Overall flight ticket prices to Japan rose at least two to three times, even three to four times. To consumers, we recommend early bookings to enjoy some discounts, preferably reserving 45 days before traveling since the discounted class tickets are limited. ”
Businesses note that this is right before the winter vacation hot season, so the ticket prices will likely further go up. Given the elimination of quarantine requirements, quarantine hotels will also be gradually phased out. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications said currently there are still 382 quarantine hotels domestically; it will ask the Tourism Bureau to devise a subsidy program to help businesses transition through this period.
Wang Kwo-tsai, Minister of Transportation and Communications: “As the quarantine hotels are phased out, there will be a window period so I'm asking the Tourism Bureau to devise a subsidy program, hoping that it will subsidize the businesses so they can better transition through this period.”
Hoteliers are voicing concern over government plans to phase out quarantine hotels. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications notes that it will, together with the Ministry of Labor, release supporting measures to help these hotels ease back to normal business and welcome tourists.
10月13日起我國入境免檢疫，出國旅遊返台也不需隔離，不少人都著手規劃久違的出國旅行。旅行業者統計，目前已經付訂的訂單還是以日本最大宗，占比約5成；長程線歐洲也有快2成；東南亞和土耳其以及南韓，也都有人預訂。國人熱愛的旅遊目的地，與疫情前差不多。不過疫情後出遊成本大漲，雄獅旅行社就分析，像是廉價航空東京線的來回票價疫情前約6000元左右，現在超過一萬元，傳統航空則是要兩萬元，約是疫情前的一倍。
旅行業者單崶指出：「整體上像是日本的機票的話，至少都有2到3成以上，甚至3到4成的漲幅。消費者的部分的話，還是建議越早訂越能夠享受優惠，最好是在出發前的45天，因為優惠艙等有限。」
業者表示，即將進入寒假旺季前，屆時機票價格有可能再高。而隨著我國入境免檢疫，防疫旅館業者也準備要退場。交通部表示，目前盤點國內還有382家的防疫旅館，會請觀光局研擬一個補貼方案，讓業者度過空窗期。
交通部長王國材說：「防疫旅館退場，他們可能會有一個空窗期，那我現在也請觀光局研擬一個補貼的方案，希望能多少給他們一些補貼，讓他們在這個空窗期的時候能夠度過。」
對於日前有業者反映來不及轉型，也怕恢復為一般旅宿後人力無法立刻補足。交通部表示，有會同勞動部進行人力媒合，協助業者來準備轉型，迎接觀光旅客。