The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the global economy, bringing international travel to a standstill as countries implemented border controls. Taiwan's tourism industry has also faced challenges due to border closures and ongoing industrial transformation.
Taiwan Travel Market
Major Indices of Domestic Travel in 2022
Visitor Trends at Major Tourism Attractions
We analyzed changes in same-site visitor numbers between 2021 and 2022. This excluded sites that were added or deleted during these two years. The total number of sites before this adjustment was 323 in 2021 and 340 in 2022. The net result is that 321 sites were compared. Of these, 245 locations experienced an increase in visitor numbers compared to 2021, while 75 recorded a decline in attendance.
In 2021, visitor numbers declined at all principal scenic spots due to the impact of COVID-19. The situation improved in 2022. As noted above, 245 sites registered positive visitor growth in 2022. The rate of increase over 2021 levels ranged between 11.07% and 60.35%.
Visitor levels in the first three months of 2022 were largely unchanged from the same period in 2021, with peak numbers in February due to the Lunar New Year holiday. Visitor numbers fell from April as COVID-19 cases increased, with daily confirmed cases reaching 10,000 by the end of April and a record 94,796 cases by the end of May. This trend began to reverse with visitor numbers rising again from June 15, 2022, as Taiwan gradually reopened its borders.
Fifty-seven of the 72 sites at 13 national scenic areas experienced positive visitor growth, while numbers fell at 15 sites. The Nangan Visitor Center had the highest growth rate (189.31%), followed by the Dapeng Bay Recreation Area (168.30%) and the Green Turtle Tourism and Conservation Center (165.68%). The significant increase in visitor numbers at these sites in 2022 owed primarily to low comparison levels in 2021, when sites closed due to a Level 3 COVID alert in Taiwan.
Visitor Trends at Major Tourism and Recreation Attractions in Taiwan in 2022 (Jan-Dec)
Inbound Travel Market
Inbound travel to Taiwan in 2022 surged 537.79% over the year before to 895,962. In the same period, outbound travel from Taiwan increased by 311.92% to 1,482,821.
The biggest source of inbound travel to Taiwan in 2022 was Vietnam, with 134,818 arrivals, accounting for 15.05% of the total. The next two largest source countries were the United States with 96,614 arrivals (10.11%) and Japan with 87,616 arrivals (9.78%). Analyzed by travel purpose, "other" accounted for 434,892 arrivals (48.54% of the total), followed by "tourism" with 254,686 arrivals (28.43%). Among inbound visitors, females accounted for 41.51% of the total and 30-39 year-olds were the largest age group (26.76%).
Key Indicators of Taiwan's Inbound Travel Market in 2022
Taiwan’s Outbound Travel Market
In 2022, Taiwanese citizens made 1,482,821 trips abroad. Asia was the main destination, accounting for 1,137,862 trips, or 76.74% of the total, followed by the Americas with 250,502 trips (16.89%), Europe with 57,536 trips (3.88%), and Oceania with 35,582 trips (2.40%).
Analyzed by country (region), Japan was the first destination of choice, attracting 354,219 Taiwanese visitors, followed by the US (216,084), mainland China (165,536), Vietnam (133,203), and Thailand (104,892).
