Tourism in Taiwan

Tourism in Taiwan is one of the major industries and contributor to the economy of Taiwan. In 2015, Taiwan received roughly 10 million international visitors.[1] Tourism affairs are managed by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Taiwan.

Tourism Statistics

International Visitors in Taiwan

Share of visitors to Taiwan by nationality in 2017

The top 12 nationalities of international visitors for tourism purpose (pleasure) are:

Rank	Country / Territory	2016
1	China	2,845,547
2	Hong Kong and  Macau	1,397,233
3	Japan	1,379,233
4	South Korea	693,224
5	Malaysia	339,710
6	Singapore	292,240
7	United States	166,044
8	Thailand	110,116
9	Canada	54,987
10	Philippines	48,198
11	Vietnam	36,839
12	Indonesia	32,868
Source: Tourism Bureau, Taiwan [2][1][3][4]

The top 12 international visitors in Taiwan for all purposes are:

Rank	Country / Territory	2019	2018	2017	2016	2015	2014	2013
1	China	2,714,065	2,695,615	2,732,549	3,511,734	4,184,102	3,987,152	2,874,702
2	Japan	2,167,952	1,969,151	1,898,854	1,895,702	1,627,229	1,634,790	1,421,550
3	Hong Kong  Macau	1,758,006	1,653,654	1,692,063	1,614,803	1,513,597	1,375,770	1,183,342
4	South Korea	1,242,598	1,019,441	1,054,708	884,397	658,757	527,684	351,301
5	United States	605,054	580,072	561,365	523,888	479,452	458,691	414,060
6	Malaysia	537,692	526,129	528,010	474,420	431,481	439,240	394,326
7	Philippines	509,519	419,105	290,784	172,475	139,217	136,978	99,698
8	Singapore	460,635	427,222	425,577	407,267	393,037	376,235	364,733
9	Thailand	413,926	320,008	292,534	195,640	124,409	104,812	104,138
10	Vietnam	405,396	490,774	383,329	196,636	146,380	137,177	118,467
11	Indonesia	229,960	210,985	189,631	188,720	177,743	182,704	171,299
12	Canada	136,651	128,456	117,687	106,197	90,666	88,601	72,693
	Grand Total	11,864,105	11,066,707	10,739,601	10,690,279	10,439,785	9,910,204	8,016,280
Source: Tourism Bureau, Taiwan [1][3][4]

The total tourist arrivals in Taiwan in 2016 was 10.7 million people.[5]

Types of tourism

Tourism in Taiwan is limited to business, pleasure, visiting relatives, conferences, study, exhibitions, medical treatment and others.[6]

There has been a surge in tourism numbers noticeably around election time in Taiwan, especially tourists from China.[7] However, tourists from China have declined significantly since President Tsai Ing-Wen took office in 2016.[8] Tsai is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, which the governing Communist Party of China opposes.[8] Therefore, the Chinese government has reduced the number of travel visas issued to Taiwan.

Domestic tourism

In 2015, 87% of Taiwanese had domestic travel for their tourism activities, in which the Kenting National Park became their most favorite destination. They spent an average of NT$9,323 per capita for each vacation, which was mainly for accommodation expenditure.[9]

Tourism revenue

The 2013 annual income for Taiwan from tourism-related industries topped at NT$366.8 billion (US$12.3 billion), an increase of 4.7% from the previous year. The average daily spending of each tourist in 2013 was US$224.07, a decrease of 4.37% from the previous year.[10]

In 2015, total revenue from tourism amounted US$14.39 billion, with an average daily spending by each visitor of US$208.[5]

Stay duration

In 2015, the average length of stay for each tourist visiting Taiwan was 6.63 nights.[5]

Tourism Infrastructure

International airports

Tourists mainly arrive by air and Taoyuan International Airport serves as the most popular airport bringing international tourists into Taiwan as it is the largest airport in Taiwan and important regional hub. Other major airports in Taiwan which facilitate international visitors include Kaohsiung International Airport servicing southern Taiwan, Taichung Airport servicing central Taiwan and Taipei Songshan Airport servicing central Taipei.

Ground Transportation in Taiwan

Tourists are able to travel around the island by using a wide variety of transportation modes. The most popular ways are Taiwan High Speed Rail, conventional trains on Taiwan Railways, and the metropolitan cities' metro systems such as the Taipei Metro, Taoyuan Metro, and Kaohsiung MRT. A tourist bus called "Taiwan Tourist Shuttle" also exists.[11]

See also

• Visa policy of Taiwan
• Tourism in the People's Republic of China
• List of tourist attractions in Taiwan

References

1. "Tourism Bureau, M.O.T.C. Republic of China (Taiwan) Visitor Arrivals by Residence, 2014". Retrieved 17 June 2016.
2. "Annual reports". Taiwan Tourism Bureau. Retrieved 24 February 2017.
3. "Tourism Bureau, M.O.T.C. Republic of China (Taiwan) Visitor Arrivals by Residence, 2014". admin.taiwan.net.tw. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
4. "Tourism Bureau, M.O.T.C. Republic of China (Taiwan) Visitor Arrivals by Residence, 2013". admin.taiwan.net.tw. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
5. "Taiwan's tourism revenue fell in 2015 despite higher arrivals: DGBAS - Economics - FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS".
6. "Tourism Bureau, M.O.T.C. Republic of China (Taiwan) Visitor Arrivals by Purpose of Visit, 2014". admin.taiwan.net.tw. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
7. "Taiwan: Chinese tourists flock to see elections". bbc.com. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
8. Horton, Chris (2017-05-17). "With Chinese Tourism Down, Taiwan Looks to Lure Visitors From Southeast Asia". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2018-02-02.
9. "Nearly 90% of Taiwanese have staycations last year: poll - Economics - FOCUS TAIWAN - CNA ENGLISH NEWS".
10. "Tourism income reaches record high in 2013: bureau - The China Post". chinapost.com.tw. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
11. Taiwan Tourist Shuttle

External links

• Tourism Bureau, Republic of China (Taiwan)