Hot spring promotions for the autumn and winter subsidy program for domestic travel have started! Taichung’s hot spring spas have joined together to launch the season with affordable discounted prices and gifts while the Tourism and Travel Bureau of Taichung City Government has also issued a limited edition of the "Taiwan Hot Spring Manga Handbook" as a gift for visitors to either enjoy while soaking in the hot spring or to travel to the sceneries depicted in the pocketbook and personally experience the hospitality of Taichung.
The fall and winter subsidy program for domestic travel will be held until December 31st this year. In order to further promote the tourism industry, the Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications will offer independent travelers entrance tickets to hot springs. From November 1st to December 31st, independent travelers only need to stay in one of the hotels participating in the promotion program to be able to enjoy a public hot spring bath free of charge in exchange for an accommodation voucher (invoice or receipt). If there is no public pool available, the travelers will receive a discount of $200 NTD when they book a hot spring room. The offer will be available until January 23rd 2020.
The Tourism and Travel Bureau explains that in coordination with the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ “Expanding the Fall and Winter Subsidy Program for Domestic Hot Spring Trips,” the Bureau further promotes the plan by offering a free limited edition of “Taichung’s Hot Spring Manga Pocketbook.“ Citizens who make use of the subsidized accommodation plan can exchange their accommodation voucher at the Guguan Visitor Center and receive the exclusive manga pocketbook especially created for Guguan. There are 200 limited copies available.
Moreover, the Taichung City Hot Spring Tourism Association also joined in the promotion by offering delicate souvenir gifts to any traveler who decides to stay in one of the hotels participating in the promotion program. Starting from November 1st, holders of a hotel voucher (which must be stamped by the hotel) can go to one of the following locations and redeem their gift: Shenmu Valley Holiday Hotel in Taichung-Guguan Hot Spring, the Guye B&B, the Qingshan Hot Spring Hotel in Wuri Hot Springs, the Taichung Sun Hot Springs Hall and the Kirin Peak Hot Springs Hall in Taikeng Onsen. The Hot Spring Association will additionally give away a gift from "Noodles Original" awarded the title of Excellent Taiwanese Old Store by the R.O.C Commercial Association or visitors can choose to receive the “My Fruit Diary" and pursue delicious, healthy, safe and high-quality raw materials, limited to 1,500 copies. Visitors are welcome to experience the warmth and hospitality of Taichung’s autumn and winter.
During the autumn and winter trip, you can find great hotel deals. For example, a double room for 1 night with 3 meals at Unified’s Guguan hotel is $5280 NTD and at the Guguan Hostel, you can get a $1000 NTD discount on the spot. The Guguan hot Spring Hotel offers double rooms including 1 night 3 meals starting from $2599 NTD. At the Kirin Peak Hot Spring Hotel, early birds between 6-10 o clock in the morning can enter the public hot spring pool for only $150 NTD including breakfast and when you stay at Dongshi Forest Farm Recreation Area, you will get a $250 NTD coupon for the agricultural experience trip. Before you make the booking, please feel free to phone the hotels in order to get to know more deals.
Lin Shiau-Chi, Director of the Tourism and Travel Bureau, said that in order to promote the development of the Taichung hot spring tourism industry, the "2019 Taichung Hot Spring Festival” was held during the off-season of the hot springs from May to August this year. The theme of the event was hot springs combined with manga comics. In August, two famous comic characters, Conan and Kitaro, were invited from Japan to have fun and interact with people in Guguan. The event was a success and according to the latest data released by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, tourism to the area grew by about 30.000 people, a growth rate of 6.7%, compared to the same period last year. The Tourism and Travel Bureau will continue striving to market the Taichung hot springs and to provide domestic and foreign visitors with better quality tourism.
Director Lin pointed out that in order to continue the tourism boom, the comic elements were introduced into the Taichung hot spring area and created a completely new theme. The famous national cartoonist, Hsieh Tung Ling and the winners of Taichung’s "Manga Kingdom Tottori International Comic Contest," Duwei, Lungbao, and Ms. David were invited to Guguan to promote the “Taichung Hot Spring Manga Pocketbook” which is a very interesting and entertaining read and the Guguan Community Development Association also expressed its strong support for the event. Legislator Ran Ling Xuan and Councilman Tsai Cheng Gui both recommended the event and sincerely invited people from all over Taiwan to arrange a holiday to visit the hot springs and feel the natural beauty of Guguan. In addition, Taichung's Taikeng, Wuri, and Dongshi Hot Springs also have their own local characteristics and they will leave visitors a deep and beautiful memory.