President Ma Ying-jeou said Taiwan should see 10 million visitors this year. He was speaking at a special celebration on Tuesday for Tourism Day.
Since 1976, there have been more Taiwanese visiting other countries than tourists to Taiwan. Ma said the difference between the two figures once reached over 5 million. But that difference is decreasing. Last year, Taiwan saw a record 9.91 million visits while 11.85 million Taiwanese visited other countries. Last year, Taiwan’s tourism growth was the second in the world at 24%, only behind Japan.
Ma also highlighted Taiwan’s trade volume, which is 19th in the world. In 2013, Taiwan’s tourists ranked 50th in the world with just over 8 million visitors. Last year, it ranked 35. He encouraged the tourism industry to continue to take it higher.
"So when the trade of our goods has already reached 19th in the world, there’s no reason why our trade in services should stop at 35," said Ma. "We can move forward. So our goal should be to increase investment, improve quality and create value. I hope that this year we’ll welcome our 10 millionth visitor."
Tourists to Taiwan bring in NT$700 billion in foreign exchanges to Taiwan and an income of NT$400 billion to our service industries. This has enabled Taiwan’s hotels, restaurants, transportation industry and department stores to see much growth. Ma encouraged the tourism industry to continue to strive to make Taiwan a favorite destination for international travelers.