TAIWAN. In a big boost to the offshore tourism and shopping business, Taiwan’s Customs Administration has increased the duty free allowance for visitors to Kinmen Island from NTD60,000 (US$1,920) to NTD1 million (US$32,000).
The regulations were revised last month, according to comments in the local media from Director of Kaohsiung Customs Hsieh Lien-chi – with the new rules verified by The Moodie Report today.
The move could have a “positive influence on the offshore tourism industry as a whole,” said Ever Rich Duty Free. The company added: “[This] can benefit not just Kinmen, but also Penghu and other Taiwan offshore islands, and hopefully attract more Mainland Chinese to travel and do shopping.”
The policy applies to duty free products including all luxury goods, fragrances & cosmetics, but not liquor & tobacco.
The move is the latest measure aimed at encouraging visitor traffic to Kinmen. On 1 January a new policy for Kinmen visas came into force, which should encourage tourism from the Chinese Mainland.
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How Chinese media reported the story of the new allowances |
The new visa policy applies to residents of 36 cities in Mainland China whose citizens are allowed to travel to Taiwan independently. Travellers must hold a permit to travel to Taiwan that is valid for over one month and to have booked a return ferry trip. Upon arrival at Kinmen harbour, visitors can apply for temporary entry and pay a fee of RMB125 (US$20), with Customs formalities completed in just two minutes. Visitors can then stay in Kinmen for up to 15 days.
Kinmen is situated just 30 minutes by ferry from Xiamen, making it a key transport hub for travel across the Taiwan Straits.
Ever Rich Group recently opened its five-star Golden Lake Hotel in Kinmen, part of the company’s major tourism investment there, which also includes a vast duty free complex at the Ever Rich Golden Lake Plaza (phase one of which opened in May last year).
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Ever Rich Group’s duty free plaza on Kinmen is now fully open, with its adjoining five-star hotel complex aimed at tapping into the surge in Chinese visitors from the Mainland |
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