Number of inbound tourists to Taiwan in 2017 doubles from Vietnam, drops most from China

As 2017 draws to a close, the first half of the year saw the tourism industry shrouded in gloom due to restrictions on Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan. Fortunately, the impact of the October holiday in the second half of the year helped boost arrivals, and on December 12 this year, the total number of tourist visits to Taiwan exceeded 10 million for the third consecutive year.

According to data released by the Ministry of the Interior on December 30, from January to November 2017, the total number of inbound visitors was 9,627,390, with mainland China accounting for the largest share at 2,484,539 visitors (25.81%), followed by Japan with 1,711,397 visitors (17.78%), and Hong Kong and Macau with 1,515,006 visitors (15.74%). The most notable increase compared to the same period last year was seen in Vietnamese tourists, rising from 174,386 to 349,649, a growth rate of 100.50%. Other significant increases were seen in tourists from the Philippines (+71.96%) and Thailand (+56.0%).

Visitor numbers from almost all countries to Taiwan showed growth this year, but those from mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) experienced a sharp decline. From January to November last year, there were 3,256,616 visitors from mainland China, but this year the number dropped sharply by 24.51%, to just 2,484,539. Although Southeast Asian visitor numbers grew by 32.57%, this was not enough to offset the decline from mainland China, and overall visitor numbers from Asian countries still dropped slightly by 1.25% this year.

Meanwhile, Japan remains the most popular destination for Taiwanese travelers, accounting for 29.63% of all outbound trips.