Taiwan is keen to promote key festivals like the Lantern Festival held every February (Photo: Taiwan Tourism Administration)
Taiwan recorded a strong growth in international tourist arrivals in 2024 as the East Asian nation was visited by over 7.85 million visitors. In order to continue the strong growth and broaden its source markets, Taiwan will focus on India, New Zealand and Australia in 2025.
This was announced by Chou Yung-hui, Director General of Taiwan Tourism Administration, at a press meet in Taipei. On the occasion, Chou also laid out the plans and ambitions of Taiwan Tourism Administration (TTA) for the year 2025. He said the organisation aims to create tourism markets within a four- to eight-hour flight to Taiwan this year, focussing on India, New Zealand and Australia. Tourism information centres for foreign visitors are expected to open this year in many places around the world, he added.
At the meet, Chou also highlighted North America and Europe as key markets for Taiwan’s tourism expansion. He said centers would also be established in Seattle and Amsterdam.
Chou said the number of visitors from South Korea to Taiwan exceeded 1 million last year. From January to October last year, the number of Japanese visitors to Taiwan also surpassed 1 million, marking a nearly 50 pc increase compared to the same period in 2023.
Chou Yung-hui
The head of TTA added that the focus for first-time foreign visitors is on promoting tourism in the north. Aligning with Thailand’s ecotourism initiative, the administration will promote destinations, including Keelung’s Heping Island and Yilan’s Zhuangwei to Thai tourists.
Chou said that Thai luxury travellers enjoy shopping in Taiwan, and the administration will discuss with the economic ministry to offer more convenient shopping options for them. The administration will continue promoting discounts on Taiwan High Speed Rail tickets to encourage tourists to explore regions outside Taipei.
The administration will intensify efforts to promote Taiwan’s tourism through key events this year, including the Taiwan Lantern Festival, Taiwan Cycling Festival, and L’Etape Sun Moon lake.
Chou added that Taiwan’s tourism industry had rebounded after the pandemic. However, the Hualien earthquake in April last year resulted in a loss of 520,000 group tourists to the region.