To boost spending in the arts and culture sectors amid the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the Ministry of Culture issued "Arts FUN Go" electronic and paper vouchers on July 22, 2020, which were valid until the end of 2020.
For this year, the Ministry of Culture announced on Jan. 1 that the "Arts FUN Go" mobile app will soon be upgraded to a multifunctional electronic services platform — Arts FUN NEXT— exclusively catered for the arts and culture sectors.
Those who have previously registered for the "Arts FUN Go" vouchers only need to sign in to the app between Jan. 11 and Jan. 31 to become an Arts FUN member and receive notifications on events and special offers.
The Ministry of Culture indicated that 97% of the 2.1 million electronic Arts FUN Go vouchers issued to over 2 million people, valued at nearly NT$1.2 billion, were used upon the day of expiration, with over NT$670 million spent in bookstores, over NT$300 million on movies, and some NT$100 million on the performing arts.
Over NT$380 million worth of vouchers were spent in the first month since the Ministry of Culture began issuing, and in the last two days before the voucher's expiration, over NT$60 million worth of vouchers were spent, reflecting the overall passion that the public has for arts and culture consumption.
The Ministry of Culture pointed out that the Arts FUN Go app provides vouchers, payment services and electronic maps. It plans to keep providing notifications on arts and culture events, stores and electronic maps and upgrading the Arts FUN NEXT services platform so that users may receive notifications from both the Ministry of Culture and cultural centers.
Additionally, the ministry also plans to include services for event registration and for purchasing tickets, to facilitate the app's usage for arts and culture enthusiasts.