TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih unveiled an ambitious plan to attract 18 million tourists from abroad if elected in the 2024 election at an event on Monday (Oct. 30).
Hou sees tourism as a manifestation of national strength, noting the continual recession faced in recent years has blasted the economy.
Hou is determined to welcome more overseas visitors with a specific policy that aligns with his proposal in August, which expects at least a 15% increase in budget size annually.
The increased budget aims to bolster investments in infrastructure such as air terminals, ports, the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), and the Taiwan Railway as sixty more stops are added, according to Hou.
Responding to the recent incident in Xinjiang, where a Taiwanese tour group was swept in a car crash last Monday, the KMT candidate criticized the government for not lifting restrictions on group tours to China, causing a flow of privately arranged travel groups.
Hou further addressed the severity of incorrect policy-making in the face of growing cross-strait tensions, saying, "What we need are not warplanes, but planes for passengers, to create a better future of peace and prosperity."
