Taiwan welcomes nearly 10 million tourists, making history — mainland Chinese lead, followed by Japanese and Hong Kong/Macau visitors

Tourism Center / General Report

Taiwan is on the verge of becoming a 10-million visitor tourism powerhouse. On New Year’s Day, President MaThe largest group of visitors to Taiwan are from mainland China, exceeding 3.64 million, followed by Japan with 1.48 million and Hong Kong & Macau with 1.24 million.

According to statistics released by the Tourism Bureau for visitors to Taiwan from January to November 2014, four regions and countries—mainland China, Japan, Hong Kong & Macau, and Southeast Asia—reached the “million club.” Mainland Chinese visitors totaled 3,640,211, an increase of 38.2% compared to the same period in 2013; Japanese visitors were 1,483,671, up 16.04%; visitors from Hong Kong & Macau numbered 1,240,074, an increase of 16.94%; and Southeast Asian visitors amounted to 1,212,826, growing by 10.47%.

In addition, under the influence of TV programs, the number of South Korean visitors to Taiwan also saw significant growth in 2014, with an annual growth rate of nearly 55.5%, surpassing the United States to become the fourth-largest source of visitors. Visitors from Europe and New Zealand & Australia also showed notable increases. However, growth in emerging markets in Southeast Asia, which the Tourism Bureau has been actively cultivating, did not meet expectations, possibly due to factors such as the Indonesian presidential election, the Malaysian air disaster, and the Thai coup.