TAIPEI (TVBS News) — As the Taipei International Travel Fair ended on Monday (Nov. 6), many attendees excitedly seized travel deals while wondering when travel costs would likely decline in the post-pandemic era.
In response to this concern, industry experts said that high travel expenses are inevitable due to the impact of the global tourism industry through various factors such as flight recovery, labor shortage, and rising costs due to inflation.
They urged travelers to take advantage of fair benefits and select low-cost airlines to alleviate the financial pressures of high travel costs.
Li Chi-po, spokesperson for Cola Tour, attributed the inevitability of high travel costs to flight recovery, which remains challenging, and labor shortage, a problem in Japan, a popular resort for Taiwanese tourists.
The weakening Japanese Yen has also encouraged many Japanese citizens to choose domestic travel over international travel, leaving Taiwanese tourists to compete for hotel rooms against staggering global tourist numbers, not to mention local tourists.
The imbalance of demand and supply has contributed to mounting travel costs. In response, Li offered vital advice to those keen to travel abroad. While one should keep a close eye on travel fair benefits, Li encouraged travelers to explore travel options on low-cost airlines.
For those interested in traveling to Western countries, which require long-haul flights, Li suggested transferring through airports in China as ticket prices can be relatively lower there.