2015 Inbound Travelers Survey in Taiwan: Tourism Bureau States Mainland Chinese Tourists Outspend Japanese Counterparts

▲ According to the Tourism Bureau’s survey, mainland Chinese tourists demonstrated greater spending power in Taiwan in 2015. The image is for illustrative purposes only. (Photo / Reporter Chen Rui-zhong)

By Cai Wen-jun / Staff Writer

Taiwan became a "ten-million tourist" destination in 2015, setting a new record in the island's tourism history. On the 3rd, the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced the growth trends across major inbound markets for the previous year.In terms of spending, the average daily shopping expenditure per mainland Chinese tourist was $122.78, significantly higher than the $40.06 spent by Japanese tourists. The Tourism Bureau pointed out that the average daily spending per mainland Chinese visitor has now surpassed that of Japanese tourists.

According to data released by the Tourism Bureau, the number of inbound tourists to Taiwan from January to November 2015 totaled 9,416,888, marking a 5.13% increase compared to the same period in 2014. Among them, South Korean tourists showed the highest growth rate at 23.41%. Hong Kong, Macau, and Mainland China followed in second and third place, with growth rates of 8.75% and 5.95%, respectively—showing growth across all markets. In contrast, although the number of Japanese tourists visiting Taiwan in November alone increased by 4.77%, the overall figure for January to November recorded a negative growth of 1.74%.

▲ Illustration of independent travelers. (Photo / Reporter Chang Yi-zhong)

Regarding the 2015 consumption and travel trends of inbound tourists to Taiwan, data from the first three quarters of the year released by the Tourism Bureau showed that the average daily expenditure per mainland Chinese tourist was $232.15, higher than the $221.45 spent by Japanese tourists. In terms of shopping expenses, the Mainland China market averaged $122.78, far exceeding Japan’s $40.06, indicating that the average daily spending per mainland Chinese visitor has surpassed that of Japanese tourists.

However, the Tourism Bureau also noted that the overall spending power of inbound tourists has been declining year by year—from $234.31 in 2012 to an average daily expenditure of $221.76 by 2014. The main reason for this decline is the reduced average daily spending by Japanese and mainland Chinese tourists, who together account for nearly 60% of Taiwan’s tourism market.

Japanese tourists were mainly affected by the depreciation of the yen and psychological impacts from the consumption tax hike in Japan, leading to reduced overseas spending. Their average daily expenditure was $243.33, down 8.27% from the previous year, with shopping expenses seeing the largest decline. Mainland Chinese tourists, on the other hand, were influenced by Taiwan’s implementation of the Quality Tour Program in May 2013, as well as China’s Tourism Law and luxury spending restrictions. Their average daily expenditure dropped to $241.98, a 6.80% decrease from the previous year—both of which are contributing factors.