Passenger arrivals in Taiwan have risen to about 30 percent of pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, airport data showed, with an expert predicting it could reach 40 percent by the end of the year.
Since the reopening of national borders on Oct. 16, travel to Taiwan has been slowly resuming.
Incoming traveler numbers this month are expected to reach 26 to 31 percent of pre-pandemic levels, Providence University Department of Tourism associate professor Huang Cheng-tsung (黃正聰) said, citing estimates from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
Photo: CNA
However, Huang said he believed it could reach 40 percent before the end of the year.
The largest number of travelers came from Vietnam at 16,000, followed by the US at 10,030 and Japan at 9,625, Tourism Bureau figures from October showed.
Travel to Taiwan has tripled since October, Hong Kong-based travel firm Klook said at an event on Wednesday announcing the results of a survey on travel habits in Asia.
Travelers from Singapore held the top spot, followed by South Korea and the US, its survey showed.
Travel from Japan and South Korea, the origin of most arrivals before the pandemic, has not yet fully recovered, it said.
Now that the pandemic is subsiding, people are looking to take full advantage of their newfound ability to travel by taking longer trips, planning in advance and spending more, Klook Taiwan general manager Emma Lee (李雅寧) said.
Taiwanese are increasingly looking outside of Asia and are seeking more unique travel experiences, she said.
Although 80 percent of respondents reported anxiety about traveling abroad next year, 90 percent said they look forward to it and nearly 20 percent have already booked tickets, the survey showed.
The most popular attraction is the Shibuya SKY observation tower in Tokyo, while the hottest package is a one-day tour of floating markets in Bangkok, Klook said.
As for travelers to Taiwan, more than half are coming for the food, Lee said.
Promoting exhibition tie-ups with large international events could draw more travelers, she said, citing as an example “Avatar: The Experience” at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay.
Traveling by car has also become easier, after Taiwan and South Korea signed a driver’s license reciprocity agreement, Klook associate director of business development Ryan Tsai (蔡岳廷) said, adding that demand for car rentals has soared among South Korean tourists in Taiwan.
Taiwanese car rental firms have even started purchasing more Hyundai vehicles to meet the needs of this growing market, he said.
One surprising piece of feedback from these visitors has been that driving in Taiwan is safer than in South Korea, he added.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
RSS