COST OF LIVING/Taiwan's average hotel prices grows 3.4% in Q1 due to inflation

Taipei, May 15 (CNA) The average daily rate of licensed hotels in Taiwan moved higher by about 3.4 percent from a year earlier in the first quarter of this year, according to the Tourism Administration, which cited inflation as the reason for the increase.

Data released by the agency Tuesday showed the average daily rate at licensed hotels in the country hit NT$3,135 (US$97.06) in the first quarter, up NT$107 or 3.4 percent from a year earlier.

The agency said the increase largely came after a rise in local consumer prices, which rose 2.34 percent from a year earlier in the first quarter with service expenses rising 2.62 percent year-on-year, indicating hotels' operating costs keep rising.

The agency added the local hotel segment has felt the pinch from negative factors such as an increase in the minimum wage.

The monthly minimum wage rose from NT$26,400 in 2023 to NT$27,470 in 2024, with the minimum hourly pay rising from NT$176 to NT$183.

In addition, the agency cited a hike in electricity tariffs and a labor shortage behind growing operating costs at hotels in Taiwan.

In the first quarter, Taiwan had 3,440 licensed hotels, according to the agency.

The agency added 80 percent of those, or 2,722 hotels, reported daily prices below the average, while about 35 percent or 1,193 hotels reported daily rates ranging between NT$1,500 and NT$2,500.

The agency said the number of patrons at these hotels totaled 16.97 million in the first quarter, up 350,000 or 0.02 percent from a year earlier.

The occupancy rate at licensed tourism hotels and general hotels, which do not require a tourist hotel license, hit 46 percent in the first quarter, the data showed.

Taipei, the capital city, had the highest hotel occupancy rate of 60.5 percent among the 22 cities and counties in Taiwan, ahead of New Taipei with 51.3 percent and Tainan with 51 percent, the data indicated.

As of the end of April, the number of licensed hotels in Taiwan had fallen to 3,324, according to the agency.

Many local consumers have complained about high hotel rates in Taiwan, while the agency advised people take trips on weekdays to avoid the surcharge on weekends, when demand spikes, to secure a more affordable rate.

In addition, the agency said it has set up a special area on its website, where hotel owners have announced more than 600 promotional packages for consumers.

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