Kenting: A guesthouse in the renowned Kenting National Park of southern Taiwan is set to face financial penalties after authorities discovered it drastically increased room rates in violation of local price control regulations. The investigation, prompted by the Pingtung County Bureau of Transportation and Tourism Development alongside the Hengchun Police Bureau, revealed that the guesthouse hiked its room rates by nearly 900 percent during early April, coinciding with two major festivals in the region.
According to Focus Taiwan, the joint inspection conducted on Saturday also uncovered that the guesthouse was operating beyond its permitted capacity. The establishment was found to be using 15 rooms instead of the nine for which it was registered. This breach of regulations will result in fines ranging from NT$10,000 to NT$50,000 for price gouging and an additional NT$40,000 for exceeding the allowed room count, as per the Act for the Development of Tourism.
The local government initiated the inspection following the discovery of irregularities last Thursday, when an unlicensed guesthouse in Kenting was found to have inflated its room prices from NT$895 (US$26.94) to NT$7,980 per night. This surge surpassed the authorized limits for price increases during the festival period.
As a consequence, the guesthouse was ordered to cease operations and fined according to the stipulations of the Act. The Pingtung County government emphasized that ongoing inspections will be conducted to uphold compliance with pricing regulations, urging guesthouse operators to adhere to fair pricing practices and provide quality services to consumers.
The timing of the price hike aligns with the Taiwan Music Festival, previously known as Spring Scream, taking place from April 3-5, alongside the national four-day Tomb-Sweeping Festival holiday from April 3-6, drawing significant tourist attention to the area.