TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The lines are now shorter at the departing gates at Taoyuan International Airport in Taiwan. Even so, many travelers are arriving early for fear of huge crowds heading overseas for the Chinese New Year holiday.
Some people even arrived half a day earlier as rides to the airport have also become hard to book. Two travelers remarked that the buses to airports had all been booked, so they had to get to the airport much earlier than usual for their 2 p.m. flight.
In fact, following the Central Epidemic Command Center’s announcement on Oct. 13 last year not requiring travelers arriving in Taiwan to quarantine, the number of people has surged to the thousands at Taoyuan Int’l Airport daily.
In December of last year, the number of inbound and outbound travelers reached 20,000 daily, or 10 times more than the same period in 2021.
As the Lunar New Year holiday approaches, more are getting a head start and heading out early to avoid spending their holiday at airports waiting in lines.
Taoyuan International Airport will also assign more staff to assist travelers after a more than two years slump in the travel and tourism industry.
