TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taitung County Government announced on Tuesday (Oct. 4) that it will give a NT$500 (US$16) subsidy per room to individual tourists who stay at a legally registered accommodation facility until a total budget of NT$10 million (US$ 320,000) is used up, according to a press release.

The Taitung County Tourism Department explained that the hotel subsidy program is designed for individual tourists who are not Taitung County residents and who come to stay in Taitung on weekdays (Sunday to Thursday, excluding national holidays). The program will take effect from Tuesday (Oct. 11), the department added.

The county government said that it hopes the NT$500 hotel subsidy will help revive the county’s tourism and boost the local economy, which has been impacted by the Sept. 18 earthquake, per the release.

Taitung County Magistrate Yao Ching-ling (饒慶鈴) said that the earthquake impacted the county’s tourism as rail transport in and near the county has been disrupted due to damage to the railway track. According to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ assessment, the affected rail transport is not expected to return to normal before the Lunar New Year in 2023, she added.