The number of outbound travelers from Taiwan smashed previous records last year, rising more than 12 percent year on year, while the number of foreign arrivals rose 9 percent, the Tourism Administration said yesterday.
The number of Taiwanese traveling overseas hit 18.94 million last year, up 12.43 percent from a year earlier, with Japan, China, and Hong Kong and Macau the three top destinations, data compiled by the agency showed.
Foreign arrivals totaled 8.57 million last year, up about 9 percent from a year earlier, while Japan was the largest source of tourist visiting Taiwan followed by Hong Kong/Macau and South Korea, the data showed.
Photo: Taipei Times file photo
The difference between inbound and outbound tourists last year was about 10.4 million, the agency said.
The gap reflected several factors such as a foreign-exchange rate in favor of foreign destinations, an increase in flight numbers in the post COVID-19 era and moves by foreign countries to ease visa rules to attract Taiwanese travelers, it said.
The annual number of outbound travelers has exceeded the number of foreign arrivals since 1990, a trend that benefits Taiwan-registered carriers, travel agencies and insurance firms, the agency said.
With each foreign traveler spending US$1,276 on average during their stay in Taiwan and each Taiwanese traveler spending NT$55,541 (US$1,763) on average overseas in 2024, the agency estimated that Taiwan had a deficit of NT$700.98 billion in tourism value last year.
The agency said that it is gearing up to push for a campaign encouraging foreign tourists through incentives to "visit Taiwan one more time" and attract more visitors to come to trade exhibitions and attend concerts held by famous foreign artists in Taiwan.
In 2024, Taiwan’s international tourism income totaled US$10.03 billion, the agency said, citing UN statistics.
In the first nine months of last year, Taiwan’s international tourism income, excluding cross-border airfares, is estimated to have totaled US$7.89 billion, up 11.56 percent from a year earlier, the UN data showed.
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