The Executive Yuan supports a plan by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to extend the subsidies for domestic travelers until the end of next month, the Tourism Bureau said on Monday night.

To promote the second phase of the nation’s “disease prevention tours,” which were launched in July, the bureau has been offering NT$1,000 (US$34.30) subsidies per hotel room.

The NT$3.9 billion in subsidies, which were warmly received by the public, were expected to run out by the end of last month, but the ministry managed to adjust funding priorities and produce an additional NT$1.6 billion budget.

Because the additional funding is expected to run out by the end of this month, the ministry has requested that the Executive Yuan increase the budget to close the funding gap that would result from extending the program, which is about NT$1.92 billion.

After a briefing from Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung on how the subsidies had increased local tourism, Premier Su Tseng-chang expressed his support for extending their availability until the end of next month, the bureau said.

The additional funding would be provided by the ministry through an adjustment of its budget priorities, then reimbursed from a third special relief package once it has been approved by the Legislative Yuan, it said.

The second phase of “disease prevention tours,” the Triple Stimulus Vouchers and incentives offered by other government agencies have boosted consumer confidence and maintained positive momentum for domestic tourism, the bureau said.

The measures have generated NT$63.5 billion for local businesses, and mitigated the damage and layoffs that could have hit the tourism industry due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program has given NT$8.91 million in subsidies to independent tourists traveling nationwide, while more than 9,500 hotels have participated, bureau data showed.

About 1.85 million people aged 19 or younger have also visited amusement parks for free through the program, the bureau said.

“The second phase of ‘disease prevention tours’ has succeeded in keeping some outbound tourists, who would have traveled to other countries if it were not for the pandemic, in the domestic tourism market,” the bureau said. “It has influenced some travel agencies that previously organized outbound tours to invest resources and personnel in developing domestic tour packages.”