The number of trips made by Taiwanese travelers to China rose 16.86 percent year-on-year last year, but remained nearly 20 percent below pre-COVID-19 levels, Ministry of Transportation and Communications data showed.
Taiwanese travelers made 3.24 million visits to China last year, and although an increase from 2024, the figure was still 19.94 percent lower than in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Providence University tourism associate professor Huang Cheng-tsung (黃正聰) attributed the shortfall from pre-pandemic levels to cooling cross-strait relations, Taiwan’s continued ban on group tours to China, and stronger demand for travel to destinations such as Japan and South Korea.
Photo: Reuters
Travel to China has been under an “orange” alert — when the Mainland Affairs Council advises the public to avoid nonessential travel — since June 27, 2024.
The alert was raised after Beijing issued a 22-point set of guidelines targeting so-called “Taiwanese independence separatists,” which Taipei said could pose serious risks to the personal safety of Taiwanese traveling in China.
Taiwan’s travel advisory system for China consists of four levels: “gray” (reminder), “yellow” (exercise caution), “orange” (avoid nonessential travel) and “red” (do not travel).
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