Taichung City Government-市政新聞-The First Step towards Economic Development: Mayor Lu Announces Free Flora Expo Admission for Taichung Citizens, New Immigrants, and Children Under 12 Years of Age

On the first day of the appointment, Mayor Lu Xiu-yan held a municipal meeting to announce her first campaign promise: Starting from January 1st, 2019, Taichung citizens, new immigrants of Taichung City, and children under the age of 12 worldwide are provided with free admission to Taichung Flora Expo; By then, a dedicated channel will be built for the Taichung Citizens. As long as the qualifiers present their ID card, health insurance card, residence permit, passport or any other valid documents that can prove the holders' identity, they will be admitted to the Flora Expo free of charge. Mayor Lu said that she hopes that this preferential policy will drive the Flora Expo economy as the first step towards achieving the effect of "economic development" in Taichung City. Mayor Lu explained that in her election campaign, she promised the that the Taichung Citizens will be admitted to the Floral Expo completely free of charge. There are three reasons for such policy adjustments. First of all, a total of NT$9 billion is expected to be spent on Taichung Floral Expo with the public budget mostly coming from the taxes paid by local citizens. Given that so much was spent by Taichung City, it would be unfair for the Taichung citizens if the same charge is required for local citizens, general public of other cities and counties, and foreigners to be admitted to the Flora Expo. Therefore, Taichung Citizens are able to enjoy free admissions to Flora Expo starting from January 1st of the next year. Given that the Flora Expo has an exhibition period for half a year from November of this year to April of next year, the citizens are able to enjoy free admission to Flora Expo for a total of 4 months by the time the new policy comes into effect. This way, Taichung Citizens are able to enjoy what they deserve for paying so much tax as the public budget for organizing Flora Expo in Taichung City. Secondly, Mayor Lu also provides children under 12 years of age worldwide with free admission to Flora Expo out of love for children so that they will learn more about nature to broaden their horizon which is also a very important part of education. Thirdly, the new policy is the first step towards economic development. Originally, some families may choose not to visit the Flora Expo due to their financial concerns that both the adults and children are required to pay for the tickets to be admitted to the Flora Expo. By providing an incentive that children under 12 years of age are able to enjoy free admission, more family may choose to visit the Flora Expo by paying for adult tickets alone without paying for children tickets. Foreigners who visit Flora Expo in Taichung will also provide a steady source of income for the local economies in form of transportation, catering, accommodation, and gifts. Therefore, the new policy is the first step towards economic development in Taichung City. Mayor Lu also reminded the citizens that, after more than one month of observation, it was found that there are more tourists from the external sources that make the park relatively crowded on the 4 days from Friday to Monday. Therefore, it is advised that the tourists choose to visit the Flora Expo on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday when there are less visitors to enjoy visiting experience of higher quality. Director Yeh, Chao-fu of Transportation Bureau, Taichung City Government pointed out that the Flora Expo Card launched by the former city government will no longer serve the function of Flora Expo admission starting from January 1st of the next year. Instead, it will be converted to a Taichung Citizen Card with EasyCard function so that the general public is allowed to take public transportation and be admitted to the Flora Expo with just one card. In addition, the Flora Expo tickets purchased by the general public is also recommended to be transferred to friends and relatives in other cities and counties. Regarding whether or not the refund is available, it is currently under discussion with the ticket company on the relevant matters. Director LIN, HSIAO-CHI of Tourism and Travel Bureau, Taichung City Government pointed out that a dedicated channel labeled with "Taichung Citizen Admission Channel" will be built for the Taichung Citizens to enjoy admission to the Flora Expo free of charge. As long as the qualifiers including Taichung citizens, new immigrants of Taichung City, and children under 12 years of age present their ID card, health insurance card, residence permit, passport or any other valid documents that can prove the holders' identity, they will be admitted to the Flora Expo free of charge. For more details related to the admission, please call Mrs. Luo at 04-22289111 ext. 60325.