TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's international tourism sector continues its gradual post-pandemic recovery, with over 2.1 million visitors arriving during the first quarter of 2025, according to Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱). During a legislative briefing on Wednesday (April 9), the minister outlined cautious optimism for modest growth, expressing hope to increase visitor numbers by 3% in the upcoming second quarter despite looming challenges, including potential disruptions from escalating global tariff disputes that could impact travel patterns and consumer confidence.
The presentation came at the request of the Legislative Yuan's Transportation Committee (交通委員會), a key oversight body within Taiwan's parliament, which had summoned the minister to detail the government's strategies for enhancing international tourism appeal, expanding airport infrastructure, and elevating service standards across the travel sector. During the session, a committee member highlighted the stark disparity between outbound and inbound travel recovery rates. While Taiwanese traveling abroad numbered 16.8 million in 2024 – representing a robust 98.52% recovery to pre-pandemic levels — foreign visitors to Taiwan reached only 7.85 million during the same period, achieving just 66.23% of the island's 2019 tourism figures.
Minister Chen candidly acknowledged the underwhelming recovery pace, attributing the sluggish rebound primarily to Taiwan's position as a secondary destination rather than a primary choice for travelers within the competitive Asian tourism market. He emphasized the strategic imperative of revitalizing Taiwan's international appeal, particularly among younger global demographics, while noting that these efforts would require sustained investment despite already elevated marketing expenditures. The transportation chief highlighted two priorities for sustainable tourism growth: cultivating repeat visitors through exceptional experiences and systematically enhancing service quality standards throughout the industry, announcing concrete plans to establish a dedicated tourism training institute before year's end to address these objectives.
During the question-and-answer session, another parliamentarian pressed the minister on the feasibility of reaching the government's ambitious target of 10 million international visitors in 2025 and sought clarity regarding longer-term tourism objectives extending to 2030. Chen responded by referencing ongoing strategic planning discussions within the ministry while acknowledging the current trajectory — characterized by the modest 3% first-quarter growth — would require significant acceleration to achieve the stated annual goals. The minister emphasized that his team continues to evaluate additional policy levers and promotional initiatives that could potentially stimulate more substantial tourism growth in the coming quarters.
