Yet another destination in East Asia has confirmed it will be paying people to visit. The beautiful island of Taiwan has become the latest destination to offer a cash reward (about C$220) to attract more visitors.
With the pandemic behind us and more countries reopening, some places want to attract more visitors and offer deals involving money, discounts, and even flights. Flytrippers recently told you all about Hong Kong’s giveaway of 500,000 “free” flights.
Taiwan (officially the Republic of China) is another destination part of what is called Greater China, but it’s a separate country whose relationship with the People’s Republic of China is complicated.
That said, they just announced they’d be offering cash to travelers.
Here are all the details we know so far.
Overview of getting paid to visit Taiwan
Here’s an overview of the new scheme, officially approved by the Taiwanese government and tourism board:
- 500,000 travelers will receive NT$5,000
- That’s around C$220
- Tour group operators will receive incentives as well
- Over 5.3 billion New Taiwan dollars (NT$) will be given out
- That’s around 236 million Canadian dollars
- Taiwan used to attract over 11 million visitors annually
- This fell to just 900,000 visitors in 2022
- They hope to attract 6 million people in 2023
- Money will be given digitally to visitors on arrival in Taiwan
- So it won’t be usable for flights
- It will be usable for hotels, food, and more
- The details are still unknown
- The dates
- The application process
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Details of getting paid to visit Taiwan
Here’s what we know so far.
How to get paid to visit Taiwan
So far, we don’t have many details about Taiwan’s plans. We know that individuals will be given up to NT$5,000 (C$220) each upon arriving on the island.
The money will be gifted digitally, although this hasn’t been fully explained.
After receiving the money, travelers will be able to use it on everything from accommodations to activities, food, and souvenirs.
While the details of the scheme (such as how to apply, when it will start, and who is eligible) are currently unknown, we will keep up to date with developments to let you know.
Why Taiwan will pay you to visit
The economies of many destinations rely on travelers and tourism and were hit hard by the pandemic. Government restrictions were very strict in most of Asia.
Taiwan is only the latest in a long list of countries looking to entice back visitors after a difficult few years.
The government hopes the new scheme of paying people to come to Taiwan will encourage more travelers to visit, as they hope to attract 10 million visitors by 2025.
Before the pandemic hit, Taiwan had record numbers of visitors, attracting over 11 million people a year. During the pandemic, the island closed its borders entirely and has had one of the longest border closures in the world: it only reopened in October 2022.
Currently, Taiwan (sometimes also called Chinese Taipei) is one of the many countries that have removed all COVID-19 travel requirements for all travelers.
Now, the island needs travelers to boost its economy. So it hopes that more people will come and visit by giving out cash.
The scheme is particularly aimed at visitors from key markets, including North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Macao.
Why visit Taiwan
A small amount of just $220 alone is certainly not a good enough reason to visit Taiwan. But if it had been on your bucket list, it’s a great time to go if you can get free money!
Kevin, Flytrippers’ cofounder, loved visiting Taiwan just before the pandemic. It’s an island that has something for all tastes with a fascinating city and rich culture, but also breathtaking nature.
We’ll make sure to share more content about this destination soon, given Taiwan’s plan to pay you to visit, as we’ll also do for Hong Kong (we started with first impressions of Hong Kong).
If you’re a savvy traveler that has Marriott points, Taiwan is not a destination where you can get the most free nights with your points like Indonesia or Malaysia. Still, it does have a few hotels around 12,000 points per night (48,000 points for 5 nights with the “Pay for 4, Stay for 5” benefit), like the Moxy Taichung hotel, for example.
For context, unlocking the Marriott Bonvoy American Express Card’s current welcome bonus will give you 53,000 points.
However, unless you’re planning to soon go to a destination like Taiwan or the others where you can get great value with your points, there are so many better offers right now, like the TD First Class Travel Visa Infinite Card’s free welcome bonus giving you $825 that can be used on almost any hotel (or flight). That could help you go to Taiwan — or anywhere else.
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Summary
The beautiful island of Taiwan, officially the Republic of China, wants to attract visitors and will be giving out C$220 for free to travelers who choose to visit. More details will come soon!
What would you like to know about getting paid to travel to Taiwan? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Hiking trail in Taiwan (photo credit: Angela Lo)
