Eight-hour system crash! Outrage over failed bids for $1,000 travel discounts; MOT doubles quota

▲ Present your ID card to apply online for a limited-time “Travel Period” accommodation e-voucher.

Lifestyle Center / Comprehensive Report

The MOT Tourism Bureau launched a domestic travel subsidy. At 10 a.m. on the 20th, the public rushed to claim the discounts, but the system crashed massively, making logins difficult, which angered many netizens hoping to snag accommodation or theme park deals. The MOT responded that the system gradually recovered after 6 p.m. In the evening, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Fan Zhigu announced that the accommodation quota was doubled to 230,000 groups; the theme park quota was increased to 80,000 serial numbers.

The “Domestic Travel Accommodation Discount Subsidy Measures,” organized by the MOT Tourism Bureau, offered 115,000 sets of e-voucher serial numbers for “Limited-Time Travel Accommodation,” with a maximum discount of $1,000, as well as 40,000 “Buy 2, Get 1 Free” coupons for 22 theme parks across Taiwan. After opening for public snapping on the 20th, the site crashed due to an overwhelming influx of users, making logins difficult and drawing widespread complaints.

The MOT held a press conference around 7 p.m. to announce that the accommodation subsidy quota was doubled from 115,000 to 230,000 groups; the theme park quota was increased from 40,000 to 80,000 serial numbers. As of 7:30 p.m., 14,000 sets of theme park coupons had been downloaded.

The MOT stated that it would make up for the frustration caused by today’s system crash and inability to claim discounts. In the future, depending on the allocation of the Executive Yuan’s reserve funds, there may be opportunities for further increases.