The average occupancy rate of hotels in Taiwan reached 64.53 percent in the first quarter of the year, representing year-on-year growth of 6.25 percentage points, according to Tourism Bureau statistics. The growth proved the government's creative tourism incentive programs were successful, the bureau said. The global economic recovery and lower hotel room prices also led to more people to take vacations, the statement said. The statistics show that the largest year-on-year growth rates for Q1 hotel occupancy were in the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli areas in northern Taiwan, recording an average 22.41 percentage point gain. The Q1 hotel occupancy in Taipei County, Chiayi City and County, Tainan City and County, Yilan County and Penghu County recorded a significant growth of 8.62 percentage points compared with the same period in 2009, the tallies said. In Q1, the average price for a hotel room in Taiwan averaged NT$3,103 (US$98), unchanged from the same period last year. However, room prices dropped by NT$135 or 5.79 percent in the Taoyuan, Hsinchu and Miaoli areas, the bureau said, attributing the drop to local hotel operators' marketing strategies. The statistics also show the Grand Formosa Regent Hotel in Taipei City generated the largest Q1 revenue among all tourism hotels in the country, with NT$682.8 million. It was followed by the Sheraton Taipei with NT$588.3 million and the Grand Hyatt Taipei with NT$582.3 million, according to the tallies. 