Hualien County fined a guesthouse operator NT$50,000 for charging NT$4,000 over the Mid-Autumn holiday against a filed price of NT$2,500, and said violators risk losing tourism subsidy eligibility.
According to China Times and Public Television Service (PTS), a Hualien City guesthouse usually lists a double room at NT$600-700 online but asked NT$4,000 over the holiday, nearly seven times as much. After checking in, the guest reported a strong musty smell, broken drawers and yellowed bedding, and complained to the county that price and quality did not match.
광고 문의 · 300×250The gap between filed and charged prices
The county found the operator had filed NT$2,500 with authorities but charged NT$4,000, NT$1,500 more. China Times said charging NT$1,000 or more above the filed or posted rate is a violation, and the county judged it a breach of the Tourism Development Act and guesthouse rules, imposing NT$50,000. The operator refunded NT$4,000 and said it would improve.
PTS quoted the county’s tourism director saying the NT$1,500 excess far exceeded the standard and the operator must be penalized. PTS did not state a fine amount; the NT$50,000 figure comes from China Times. The head of the Hualien hotel association said it would keep reminding members and supports enforcement.
Subsidies and holiday demand
The backdrop is a lodging subsidy launched in September by the Tourism Administration and the county. PTS said the weekday-stay program has been applied to over 450,000 rooms, with about 30 percent of funds used. The county said it briefed operators on the rules beforehand.
Demand is rising. After the lineup for a K-pop concert during the Oct. 24-26 Retrocession Day long weekend was announced on Oct. 7, countywide bookings rose by more than ten percentage points overnight. The county warned that any violation will bring fines and loss of subsidy eligibility, and travelers are advised to check filed prices when booking.
