Nantou’s Lugu Township proposes tourist tax of NT$10 per person
Every summer, tourists flock to Nantou’s Lugu Township, bringing noise, pollution and overcrowding. The township council has passed a bill to charge all visitors $10 NT each, to fund infrastructure and relieve the strain on the tourist sector. If this bill is approved by the Ministry of Finance, Lugu would become Taiwan’s first township to charge a tourist tax. Summer has come to Xitou, and with it hordes of tourists. Year after year, the influx of people and cars brings congestion and air pollution to Lugu Township. To fight the negative impact of tourism, the local township office wants to introduce a tourist tax.Hsu Miao-lingLugu Township OfficeThe tax revenue can be used for environmental upkeep or to improve the roads, transport and street lights.Back in May, the Lugu township council approved a plan put forward by the township office. It calls for charging a tourist tax at three major attractions in the township: the Xitou Nature Education Area, the Fenghuang Nature Education Area and the Fengghuanggu Bird and Ecological Park. Under the plan, locals don’t have to pay a tax, but visitors of any age are charged NT$10 each.The NTU Experimental Forest, which manages the attractions, says it will fully cooperate with the tax policy if it’s approved by the central government.Hung Chih-yuanNTU Experimental ForestSo long as the central government approves it, the experimental forest will assist in the implementation.Li Meng-chenNantou County Tourism OfficeIn our county’s jurisdiction, when other districts are raising funds for the development of sightseeing, we will encourage them to implement this model.The local government says it wants to impose a reasonable tourist tax that will improve the sightseeing ecosystem in Xitou and preserve the locals’ quality of life. The tax will come into effect if approved by the Ministry of Finance.
Wander around the Nantou Old Town – Cities, Grow in Difference
Let's follow the filming team and explore the Nantou Old Town, the main venue of UABB2017! The most important events are those little things that happen in the street.
Themed on Cities, Grow in Difference, the 7th Bi-City Biennale of UrbanismArchitecture in 2017 will be a tailor-made one for urban villages, which are the product of the conflict between the rapid urbanization and the urban-rural duality leftover from the planned economy era in China. The unique exhibition environment of the urban village pushes us to redefine and rethink the structure and experience of UABB.