Earthquake-hit Hualien County is hoping to boost its economic recovery with stimulus vouchers for locals. But some say it should be getting more help from the central government.
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00:00Hualien County in eastern Taiwan is trying to recover from the physical and economic
00:05damage caused by a magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck the region in April.
00:11The county government is now issuing stimulus vouchers worth about 100 U.S. dollars to each
00:16of its residents, expected to benefit about 320,000 people.
00:20Hualien's tourism-heavy economy has struggled as hotels have been around only 20 percent
00:25capacity since the quake, and subsequent landslides have damaged trains and tracks.
00:31Locals say they're happy to see the vouchers, but wonder if they'll do enough.
00:34We have a lot of guests coming from outside, so I don't think there will be a big increase
00:41in the number of people staying in our hotels.
00:43I think the most important thing is the transportation.
00:46We think this is a big problem and we need the central government to help.
00:50But the Hualien County government came first, and we are very grateful and moved.
00:55The others have been more critical, such as Hualien legislator and caucus whip for
00:59the opposition KMT, Fu Kunqi.
01:02This is Taiwan's first time that the local government has pushed for a voucher for self-reliance.
01:09We are using local resources to help the local people.
01:13I think the central government should be proud.
01:15The vouchers are the latest in a series of stimulus measures for the quake-hit area,
01:20which have had mixed success.
01:22A new app giving discounts when buying Hualien agricultural products has had a rough start
01:27this month, with the faulty app leaving many unable to cash in on day one.
01:32Other incentives include credits for young people to spend at Hualien businesses in the
01:36arts and culture fields, and hotel vouchers for tourists.
01:40But fears of more aftershocks and landslides have kept many tourists away, and the area's
01:45biggest tourist attraction, Taroko National Park, may not be reopened for years.
01:50Despite the challenges, the local government hopes the new stimulus will give a small boost
01:55to the wallets and to the hopes of a community in recovery.
01:59Patrick Chun and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.