CORONAVIRUS/Over 2.1 million people in Taiwan win cultural vouchers

Taipei, July 21 (CNA) Some 2.1 million people in Taiwan have won "Arts FUN Go" electronic cultural vouchers, each worth NT$600 (US$20.37), that were issued by the Ministry of Culture (MOC) on Tuesday.

The 2,107,883 winners of the vouchers included Taiwanese nationals and foreign residency permit holders who downloaded the "Arts FUN Go" app online and registered their information for the lottery draw between July 18-20.

A live draw was held via YouTube on Tuesday, and the winners were those whose identification numbers ended with a 0, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, or 9.

The electronic voucher can be used to buy tickets for art exhibitions, performances, concerts, movies and other cultural events or to buy items at culture-related stores and venues, including bookstores and music stores.

Users can find events of interest through the app and make payment for related tickets with a scan of the voucher's QR code.

The NT$1.2 billion program was conceived to encourage people to attend cultural events and help boost the cultural and arts sectors as the COVID-19 situation subsides in Taiwan.

The "Arts FUN Go" voucher will be valid until Dec. 31, and the program is expected to generate an estimated NT$5 billion in value for the sector, the ministry said.

Culture Minister Lee Yung-te (李永得) on Tuesday said the ministry will soon unveil another voucher program targeting people over the age of 65 and those under 18 years of age as well as people with disabilities.