Taiwan has become a popular travel destination by offering tourists cash incentives. Since April 2023, Taiwan has been giving 'travel support funds' to randomly selected foreign tourists, amounting to 5,000 Taiwanese Dollars (approximately 22,180 Korean Won or about 17 USD) per person. This initiative is set to benefit 100,000 visitors by the end of June 2023. This effort aims at boosting tourism following the COVID-19 pandemic and natural disasters which led to a decrease in foreign visitors. The number of South Korean visitors to Taiwan increased by 36.4% last year. The support funds can be redeemed as electronic vouchers for various expenses like transport, shopping, and dining, or as accommodation discount coupons. The Taiwanese government also provides subsidies to travel agencies to promote group travel. This is in contrast to some countries imposing tourism taxes to deal with over-tourism issues.
