The number of Taiwanese tourists heading overseas far outweighs inbound tourists this year as Taiwan’s tourism industry remains sluggish.
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Round, waddling penguins march across the snow in Japan, as excited tourists brave the cold to capture the perfect shot. Japan’s tourism industry continues to thrive year-round, while Taiwan’s tourism sector remains sluggish, struggling to recover from the downturn after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Huang Cheng-tsung (黃正聰), an associate professor of tourism at Taichung’s Providence University, says the absence of Chinese tourists, who once made up 40% of inbound travelers, is a key factor. A decline in Japanese visitors due to economic factors has also contributed to the slump.
With more Taiwanese traveling abroad and fewer international visitors, Taiwan’s tourism trade deficit is widening. Government data shows that in 2018, the gap between inbound and outbound travelers was 5.58 million. After reopening borders, that gap widened to nearly 9 million in 2023.
Japan remains the top destination for Taiwanese travelers, but the imbalance is striking. Last year, 4.7 million more Taiwanese traveled to Japan than Japanese visitors came to Taiwan. Taiwan’s tourism deficit soared from NT$443.6 billion (US$ 13.5 billion) in 2023 to an estimated NT$700 billion (US$21.3 billion) in 2024, even surpassing Taiwan’s trade surplus with China.
Huang suggests expanding China’s tourism access to Taiwan could help stabilize the industry. With tourism and hospitality sectors struggling, boosting Taiwan’s appeal to foreign visitors is a pressing challenge.