A driving distance of 300 km?! Tourism Bureau announces eight quality indicators for "one-day tour" group packages

▲ Illustration of a tour bus. (Photo / Reporter Lai Wen-xuan)

Life News Center / Taipei Report

The Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced on the 22nd"Guidelines for Reasonable Itinerary Planning and Review of One-Day Domestic Tour Group Products", urging travel agencies to self-assess their one-day tour itineraries against eight key principles. The Bureau stated that this initiative aims to maintain the quality of domestic tourism and assist in ensuring that travel agencies plan trips appropriately, with the goal of safeguarding safe travel and enabling deeper experiences of local culture.

The following are the eight principles announced by the Tourism Bureau:

1. A standardized travel contract should be provided before departure, and full disclosure of travel product information should be made

2. Travel agency liability insurance should be purchased as required, with recommended higher coverage amounts (e.g., NT$5 million)

3. Rented tour buses should comply with the Labor Standards Act, which limits driving hours to no more than 12 hours

4. Rented tour buses should also comply with the Regulations Governing the Administration of the Motor Transport Industry, which limit driving duty to no more than 10 hours

5. Legal transportation vehicles and qualified drivers should be used, and safety briefings and demonstrations on how to evacuate a tour bus in an emergency should be given to passengers

6. Travel itineraries should be reasonably arranged, taking into account issues such as early departures and late returns, overly tight schedules, excessively long driving distances or durations.The driving distance may be assessed based on the recommendation of the Travel Agent Association, with a general principle of 300 km per day (including 200 km in mountainous areas), with an allowable flexibility of an additional 100 km.If any unreasonable arrangements are identified, travel agencies should independently adjust and improve, including but not limited to implementing driver rotation mechanisms, modifying or changing itineraries, or using diverse modes of transportation.

7. The selection of tour bus types and mechanical conditions should be properly evaluated to arrange suitable transport, with special attention paid to road conditions

8. Both travel agencies and tour bus companies should cooperate with inspections by regulatory authorities

The Tourism Bureau once again emphasizes that safety is paramount. It hopes that through self-regulation by industry players, the quality of tourism services can be improved, thereby expanding traveler rights protection and confidence.