Taiwan gets tough on illegal rentals

Monday, 15 Jun, 2018 0

Taiwan Tourism Bureau teamed up in Taipei with the island’s major tour operators in a show of strength aimed at demonising unlicensed vacation rentals.

The Bureau said the government will conduct stringent inspections on property owners of suspected unlicensed rentals and hundreds of tour operators gathered dressed in ‘Backlash against Illegal Rentals’ T-shirts.

Travel businesses pledged not to direct customers to any unlicensed properties, which included big players Rakuten Travel, Agoda and Booking.com.

The OTAs said they will also report unlawful rental businesses when they are made aware of them.

The Bureau will continue to promote the concept of legal accommodation and is showcasing prominent Taipei travel companies such as EZ Travel and Lion Travel as recommended platforms to book fully licensed accommodation including traditional hotels.

The tourism agency also introduced theTaiwanStay.net portal which it says will provide detailed information on safe shopping for travellers seeking legal accommodation.

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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.