Booking rates continue to rise – Top 5 cities Taiwanese travelers love to visit on budget airlines

▲ The proportion of Taiwanese travelers choosing budget airlines is on the rise. (Photo / TransAsia Airways)

Reported by Chao Yuting / Taipei

In recent years, budget airlines have become increasingly popular in Taiwan. Not only have local low-cost carriers continued to add new flights, but many foreign budget airlines have also actively entered the Taiwanese market. According to travel search engine Skyscanner’s comparison of various data on Taiwanese budget airlines and traditional airlines,in 2014, 30% of travelers flew with budget airlines and 70% with traditional airlines. But in 2015, the proportion of those flying with budget airlines had risen to 37%, while traditional airlines dropped to 63%, showing that many tourists are gradually shifting toward more affordable budget airlines.

This survey is based on Taiwanese users searching for destinations outside of Taiwan via the Skyscanner website and mobile app. For departures within the time frame covered by this data, the booking growth rate for budget airlines was 71% higher than that of traditional airlines. Additionally, the data shows that the length of stay varies depending on the airline travelers choose.Travelers on budget airlines have an average stay of 4 days, while those on traditional airlines stay an average of 10 days.

The main reason may be that the top five destinations Taiwanese travelers choose for budget airlines are all Asian countries (Osaka, Tokyo, Singapore, Okinawa, and Bangkok), which are more convenient for planning short trips.In addition, the rankings also show that Japan remains the top choice for Taiwanese travelers flying with budget airlines, with Osaka and Tokyo ranking first and second respectively.

Flora Fang, marketing manager at Skyscanner, said that long-term observation of Taiwan’s tourism industry shows that not only has the booking growth rate of budget airlines far exceeded that of traditional airlines, but the overall proportion of travelers using budget airlines has also increased significantly. In addition, Tokyo and Osaka are the top two destinations for Taiwanese travelers on budget airlines, and with many budget airlines recently launching new Taiwan-Japan routes, it is clear that Japan continues to be highly popular among Taiwanese travelers.


▲ Skyscanner’s big data report investigates the top 5 cities Taiwanese travelers visit on budget airlines. (Photo / Skyscanner)