TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — High prices at the scenic hillside village of Jiufen in New Taipei City will drive foreign tourists away, a popular influencer said Monday (Oct. 2).

Writing on his Facebook page, Sway said this would give travelers from overseas a poor impression and make a return visit to Taiwan unlikely, SETN reported. He related how he recently paid NT$200 (US$6.18) for a coffee and almost the same to park his car for three hours.

Sway recalled how 10 years ago, Jiufen had been full of Japanese and Chinese tourists, while now only South Koreans visited the village. At least the businesses selling traditional Taiwanese food had not taken part in the trend to hike their prices by unreasonable proportions, or the South Koreans would not return either, he remarked.

A foreign traveler who heard about scenery as picturesque as the Italian coast but then found out he had to pay NT$10,000 for a night at an average business hotel would not be likely to visit that country again, Sway said. Too many businesses in Taiwan were looking to make up during weekends for sluggish business during weekdays, he said.

When tourists failed to return, the businesses would complain to the government — with new subsidies as a result. The practice could be described as an international scam, according to Sway.

The Tourism Administration has set 6 million visitors from overseas before the end of the year as its target, with a return to the 11 million visitors per year reached before the COVID-19 pandemic expected in 2024.