Taiwan and South Korea hope for 5 million annual tourists

TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Tourism officials from Taiwan and South Korea convened in the coastal city of Mokpo on Thursday (June 19) to forge ambitious plans for expanding the already robust travel corridor between their nations. At the high-level gathering, the Taiwan Visitors Association (TVA, 台灣觀光協會), Taiwan's primary tourism promotion body, set forth an aggressive target of surpassing 3 million reciprocal travelers this year, with an even bolder long-term vision of reaching 5 million annual visitors. The landmark 38th Taiwan-Korea Tourism Exchange Meeting (台韓觀光交流會議), jointly organized by the TVA and its counterpart, the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA, 韓國旅行業協會), drew 200 industry leaders eager to capitalize on the growing travel appetite between the East Asian neighbors.

TVA Chairperson Chien Yu-yen (簡余晏) emphasized Taiwan's surging popularity across South Korean social media platforms, a phenomenon that has not only attracted individual travelers but also lured South Korean television productions to the subtropical island. Tracing the historical trajectory of bilateral tourism, Chien detailed how visitor exchanges have quadrupled since 1992, when annual travelers first exceeded 450,000, eventually reaching the 2 million milestone in 2018 before pandemic disruptions. KATA President Lee Jin Seok (李振錫) underscored the exceptional travel readiness in both societies, noting that more than 60 percent of citizens in each country now hold valid passports — a key indicator of strong international travel propensity.