TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The hotel industry in Taiwan was severely affected by the pandemic as the number of arrivals plummeted, causing many to lose their jobs almost instantly. However, with the pandemic subsiding, there is renewed optimism that Taiwan's tourism sector will rebound to pre-pandemic levels.
According to the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the average nightly room rate for hotels in Taiwan reached an unprecedented high of NT＄4,195 last year. Hotel room prices will likely revert to pre-pandemic levels as international travel resumes.
"Since the lifting of the lockdown in October, there has been a surge in the number of foreign tourists staying here," noted Chien Yo-ting, assistant manager of marketing at a hotel. The Tourism Bureau announced that hotel room prices had reached an all-time high, climbing to NT＄4,195 in 2022, up from NT＄3,741 four years earlier.
As the government has increased the number of long holidays each year, the demand for rooms has already surged, leading to exorbitant weekend room rates. Despite this, the industry has found it challenging to reduce room prices due to a rise in employee wages and a shortage of workers.
"Amid the pandemic, prices plummeted to as low as NT＄1,000 to NT＄2,000 per night before rebounding to NT＄3,000 to NT＄4,000," said Chang Yun, vice president of marketing at a hotel.
"Rates escalated to NT＄5,000 to NT＄6,000, which still falls short of pre-pandemic levels when they ranged between NT＄7,000 and NT＄8,000 per night," Chang added.
Industry analysts said that the room prices in the metropolitan area are still lower than in pre-pandemic times. With the revival of domestic and international tourism, room prices will gradually increase.
"Assuming a continued influx of international tourists and business travelers, domestic hotel room prices will unlikely experience a downturn in the short term, perhaps for the next 1-2 years," remarked Chen Chia-yu, associate professor at the Department of Tourism of Shih Hsin University.
With international borders gradually reopening, many Taiwanese are contemplating traveling abroad instead of staying within Taiwan due to the rising domestic travel prices.
Taiwan aims to leverage its well-established reputation as the "Heart of Asia" to draw travelers from far and wide who seek an authentic and high-quality travel experience.