Great shoppers indeed！Taiwanese travelers spent NT$147 billion in Japan in 2016, ranking second in the world

▲Taiwanese travelers have extremely high spending power in Japan, ranking second among global tourists. (Illustration / Photo by reporter Chen Rui-zhong)

By Cai Wen-jun / Comprehensive report

How much do Taiwanese love Japan? Just take a look at the “2016 Survey on Overseas Travelers’ Consumption Trends in Japan” recently released by the Japan Tourism Agency. Last year, Taiwanese travelers spent a total of 524.5 billion yen (approximately NT$147 billion) in Japan, ranking second globally, with China taking the top spot. In terms of the number of visitors to Japan in 2016, Taiwan also ranked third globally with 4.167 million travelers.

▲2016 Survey on Overseas Travelers’ Consumption Trends in Japan. (Image / From the Japan Tourism Agency)

The number of foreign travelers visiting Japan in 2016 hit a new record, driving up consumption as well. Last year, the overall spending by foreign travelers reached 3.7476 trillion yen, an increase of 7.8% compared to 2015. The top five countries by spending power were China, Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong, and the United States, with the combined total of these five countries accounting for 76.5% of all spending.

Breaking down per-person travel expenses, Taiwanese travelers still spent the most on shopping, followed by accommodation and dining. Including transportation and entertainment costs, the average expenditure per Taiwanese traveler on a trip to Japan was NT$37,585.