A new study by travel companies Skyscanner and Expedia has found that French tourist interest in Taiwan has surged in recent months, with Taipei being the fifth most searched destination, an increase of 211%. According to the study, searches for Taipei on the two travel websites reached an annual growth rate of 2786% in 2023.
On November 17, European tourism media L’Echo Touristique reported on the trends of French tourism for 2024. They say that according to Skyscanner, the top 10 cities searched for by prospective French tourists were mostly in Asia. Japan’s Osaka and Tokyo took the first and second place, with Mumbai in third, and Macedonian capital Skopje in fourth.
Additionally, surveys by Skyscanner and OnePoll show that Taipei has become known as a “destination dupe” for the South Korean city of Seoul. Dupes refer to cities that are considered equally exciting as more well-known tourist destinations but with more affordable prices. A survey from travel company Expedia also reflected an interest in dupes, with many French tourists hoping to book comfortable journeys at a higher cost-performance ratio.