The number of outbound travelers from Taiwan smashed previous records, rising more than 12 percent year on year, while the number of foreign arrivals rose 9 percent, the Tourism Administration said Monday.
Data compiled by the agency showed the number of Taiwanese travelers bound overseas hit 18.94 million in 2025, up 12.43 percent from a year earlier, with Japan, China and Hong Kong/Macau the three top destinations.
The data indicated foreign arrivals totaled 8.57 million in 2025, 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.
Photo: Taipei Times
The difference between inbound and outbound tourists in 2025 reached about 10.40 million, according to the agency.
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 the move by foreign countries to ease visa rules to attract Taiwanese travelers.
According to the agency, 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.
With each foreign traveler spending US$1,276 on average during his or her 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 in 2025.
The agency said 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 United Nations statistics.
In the first nine months of last year, Taiwan’s international tourism income, excluding cross-border air fares, is estimated to have totaled US$7.89 billion, up 11.56 percent from a year earlier, the UN data showed.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS