TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) acknowledged on Monday (Nov. 18) that Taiwan's international visitor numbers have not yet rebounded to 2019 levels. However, they have increased compared to last year. Chen addressed the Taiwan tourism recovery issue during the Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee (立法院交通委員會).
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP, 民進黨) Legislator Lee Kun-tse (李昆澤) highlighted that, according to the Tourism Administration (觀光署), international arrivals from January to August 2019 reached 7,996,961, while the same period this year saw only 4,969,697, a 38% decrease. Lee compared this with neighboring Asian countries, noting a 40% drop in Japanese visitors and a 14% decrease in South Korean visitors to Taiwan from 2019 to 2024.
The Korea Tourism Organization (韓國觀光公社) reported a 2% decline in total visitors from August 2014 to the same period in 2019, with Japanese tourists to South Korea recovering to over 93%. Meanwhile, the Japan Tourism Agency (日本觀光廳) indicated a 10% increase in visitors from January to September 2024 compared to 2019, with South Korean tourists to Japan rising by 31%.
Lee argued that international travel has not decreased, citing a UN Tourism report showing 790 million international travelers from January to July 2024, reaching 96% of pre-pandemic levels. He criticized Taiwan's domestic tourism quality and competitiveness, pointing out that outbound travel reached 11.38 million from January to August 2024, with a 26% drop in national scenic area visitors.
Lee suggested enhancing cultural and regional tourism branding, improving transportation services, and providing diverse, friendly information services to boost tourism.