The Tourism Administration revealed that over seven million tourists have visited Taiwan this year as of this Tuesday, with the number anticipated to grow as 2024 comes to an end.
The statistics highlight an uptick in tourism, as only around 5.7 million visitors were tallied around this time in 2023. With around 1.18 million travelers visiting, Japan has been Taiwan’s largest source of tourists this year. Joining Japan at the top of the list are Hong Kong and Macao with approximately 1.16 million visitors, and South Korea with 900,000 visitors.
The Tourism Administration credits the expansion of the U.S. aviation industry as part of the reason Taiwan’s tourism industry has flourished, complementing everyone’s continued efforts to return its industry to pre-pandemic standards. Tourism has now become Taiwan’s fourth largest industry and has surpassed pre-pandemic numbers, which is an outstanding achievement, the Tourism Administration said.
Despite the perceived success, the 2024 numbers are lower than the original target of 12 million tourists the Transportation Ministry set for 2024, which was later revised to 10 million accounting for the lack of Chinese tourists. The ministry claims the Hualien earthquake was partially to blame, and that it will set its sights on 10 million tourists in 2025.
The Tourism Administration shared that the 2024 strategy focused on setting up tourist promotion centers overseas, including the establishment of such centers in Jakarta, Mumbai, Paris, and Vancouver. Upcoming Taiwan Tourism Information Centers are expected to open in Manila, Seattle, and Sydney.