TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwanese travelers are increasingly looking abroad for the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival (端午節), a traditional holiday commemorating the ancient poet Qu Yuan with dragon boat races and glutinous rice dumplings. Online travel platform Agoda announced Tuesday (May 27) that overseas travel interest has climbed 6% compared to last year, with Tokyo maintaining its position as the preferred international destination. The booking site's analysis of search data collected between April 1 and May 20 indicates a 4% overall expansion in travel interest across both domestic and international markets.
The travel platform's data reveals distinct growth patterns between international and domestic travel preferences, with cross-border journeys showing stronger momentum at a 6% increase while in-country trips registered a more modest 2% uptick. Taiwanese holidaymakers continue to favor nearby Asian destinations within a few hours' flight time, with Japanese cities Tokyo and Osaka leading the pack, followed by South Korea's Seoul, Japan's southern island of Okinawa, and the financial hub of Hong Kong. Within Taiwan's borders, the capital Taipei City remains the premier choice for domestic travelers, with central Taiwan's Taichung City, the scenic northeastern coastal Yilan County, southern Taiwan's port city Kaohsiung, and the historic southern city of Tainan completing the top five domestic destinations.
The company's year-over-year comparative analysis highlights a sustained recovery in Taiwan's travel sector, demonstrating increasing consumer confidence in both cross-border and local tourism experiences. Travel industry experts recommend that prospective Dragon Boat Festival travelers complete their bookings without delay, as limited availability of hotel rooms and flight seats becomes increasingly problematic as the three-day holiday weekend approaches. Agoda's findings align with wider regional trends showing robust travel recovery throughout East Asia, as countries continue to benefit from the lifting of pandemic-era border restrictions and health protocols. ◼
