Major Policy Achievements

in 2023

Establishment of the Tourism Administration: Ushering in a New Era of Taiwan Tourism

The Organization Act of the Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) was promulgated by Presidential Decree on June 7, 2023, and enacted by the Executive Yuan on September 15, 2023, with the official inauguration ceremony also held that day. This achievement marks a significant milestone in Taiwan's tourism development. With the vision of "Bringing Taiwan's Unique Charms to Light," the administration aims to showcase the DNA of Taiwan tourism through a "Sustainable x Digital" dual-axis transformation. Under this vision, we aim to build Taiwan's international tourism brand as "Brand Taiwan," "Charming Taiwan," and "Smart Taiwan," enhancing international visibility and showing Taiwan to the world, spur local prosperity and industrial innovation, deepen sustainable values, and lead Taiwan into a new era of sustainable tourism.

Expanding Inter-Regional and Interdepartmental Cooperation to Attract More International Visitors to Taiwan

1. In 2023, the Tourism Administration launched six new "Show@Taiwan" international promotional videos and over 400 action plans. We invited 754 global media representatives and industry professionals to Taiwan for FAM tours and partnered with local travel agencies to offer promotional discount tour packages. With the opening of our Busan office on November 13, we are deepening engagement with key cities in southern Korea. Our broad-based tourism marketing efforts helped to attract over 6.48 million visitors to Taiwan.
2. The "Accelerated Expansion Plan to Attract International Visitors" was launched in May 2023 and will continue to June 2025. In 2023, 1.65 million people took part in a travel spending voucher lucky draw, with Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia the top five participating markets. The plan attracted about 13,000 applications for group tour subsidies involving about 240,000 group members.
3. Continued promotion of incentive travel for overseas enterprises to Taiwan: In 2023, Taiwan received 293 tour groups with 22,076 members, reaching about 45% of pre-pandemic levels. In key post-pandemic markets (Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macao, and Southeast Asia), the administration increased charter flight subsidies for arrivals at central and southern Taiwan airports. Additional subsidies were provided for overnight stays in the arrival city, enhancing the willingness of airlines and travel agencies to organize charter tours to those parts of the country.







4. The vice premier held monthly "Interdepartmental Project Meetings on Promoting Tourism Travel to Taiwan" to inventory and integrate plans by various ministries to promote and attract international travel to Taiwan through inter-agency cooperation.
5. The Tourism Administration invited ministries and local governments to participate in overseas exhibitions and expand interdepartmental cooperation. We provided assistance to the Ministry of Education to link up with schools abroad to attract exchange students to Taiwan and market international branded sports events; assisted the Hakka Affairs Council in marketing the "2023 World Hakka Expo"; collaborated with travel agencies, outdoor sports brands, and others to promote mountain and forest eco-tourism in Taiwan; and invited media and industry professionals to experience indigenous life and culture in Taiwan. In partnership with the Bureau of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), we promoted incidental tourism, encouraging foreign business travelers to extend stays for tourism when attending international conferences and exhibitions in Taiwan.
6. Four "Tourism Industry Symposiums" were held in south, north, central, and eastern Taiwan in 2023. These events discussed measures to accelerate the attraction of international tourists to Taiwan and strengthen promotion of 78 international market itineraries through overseas offices. Through "tourism circles," we integrated local resources, expanded product distribution channels, and established a positive industry marketing cycle to achieve the sustainable and autonomous management of Tourism Circles 2.0.

Forums to Build Consensus on Tourism Development

Through the 2023 Taiwan Tourism Summit on November 17, the "Let's Travel Sustainably Together" one-day forum event and Sustainable Tourism Exhibition and Market from November 24 to 26, and the "Tourism Digital Transformation Expo" on December 12 to 13. These events explored sustainable tourism solutions with smart travel, smart scenic areas, and smart amusement parks. The forums aim to guide the tourism industry towards a "Sustainable x Digital" transformation, create a greater tourism ecosystem in Taiwan, and provide policy guidance to help the tourism industry build momentum. Simultaneously, through platforms such as the Executive Yuan Tourism Industry Revitalization Advisory Council and the "Interdepartmental Ad Hoc Meeting on Promoting Inbound Tourism to Taiwan." The Tourism Administration also established and strengthened consensus on tourism development through interdepartmental cooperation, expert participation, and industry dialogue.

Building Tourism Professionalism to Drive Industry Momentum

1. The Projects for Fostering Talent in the Tourism Industry were implemented to enhance the professional knowledge and international perspective of tourism managers and improve the adaptability of front-line staff. In 2023, the projects focused on sustainability and service innovation and provided training for 718 participants.
2. Guidance was provided to travel industry associations in organizing educational training courses to promote the development of the travel industry, improve service quality, upgrade the tourism industry, and promote service transformation. We continued to invest resources in training tourism industry personnel, training over 12,400 participants in 2023.
3. Continued to promote the hotel star-rating and Taiwan Hosts brand certification system to foster accommodation brands. In 2023, a total of 202 hotels received star ratings and 1,562 guest houses obtained Taiwan Hosts certification, enhancing the accommodation brand image.
4. The Tourism Administration organized competency-based and competency-oriented courses to enhance the workplace skills of hotel employees and mid-level managers. In 2023, six in-person courses and two online courses provided training to a total of 664 participants.
5. Enhanced training was provided to foster talent in the tourism and amusement industries through high-quality courses and experience exchanges aimed at building industry competitiveness. In October 2023, training courses were organized for mid-to-senior level employees in the tourism and amusement industry, with a total of 60 participants.
6. Under the "Safe Park 2.0" quality improvement plan, we continued to guide the tourism and amusement park industry towards innovative services, smart parks, safe travel, age-friendly, and green sustainability. In 2023, a total of 19 businesses applied and NT$45.87 million in subsidies were approved, driving a total investment of approximately NT$150 million.

Upgrading Events to Deepen New Travel Experiences

1. Tour promotions focused on the themes of ecology, culture, cuisine, and wellness. Under these themes, six flagship events were arranged: the Taiwan Lantern Festival, Solar Festival in Taiwan, Taiwan Cycling Festival, Taiwan Hot Spring Fine-Cuisine Festival, Taiwan East Coast Land Arts Festival & Moonlit Sea Concert, and Taiwan Culinary Exhibition, totaling over 203 highlight activities.
2. The 2023 World Bicycle Day–Taiwan Bicycle Event was held on June 3, 2023, to promote bicycle tourism and the Taiwan Bike Portal debuted online on May 27, 2023. Guidance was provided to over 5,118 hotel operators in joining the Bicycle Friendly Accommodations program to build support services for bicycle tourism.
3. The 2023 Taiwan Indigenous Tourism Festival was held at Pier 7 in Kaohsiung City from October 13 to 15, 2023. The festival highlighted the achievements of indigenous tourism promotion in recent years and the unique culture of Taiwan's 16 indigenous tribes.
4. Under the "Golden Years" senior travel marketing brand, the Tourism Administration organized two senior travel workshops in June 2023. Over 145 industry professionals, experts, and scholars participated. We held a senior travel marketing event on October 28, 2023, and a "Golden Years" tour press conference on November 21, 2023. We also established a "Golden Years" senior travel certification mechanism and submitted the related "Certification Mark and Usage Regulations" to the Intellectual Property Office of the MOEA for registration in December 2023.
5. The Tourism Spotlight Award selection activity brought together 42 central ministries and local governments. Through a public vote and expert evaluation, 32 awards were presented, including "Top 10 Activity Experience Awards," "Top 10 Scenic Site Facility Awards," "Best Domestic Tourism Potential Award," "Best International Recommendation Award," and "Most Popular Award." The awards in conjunction with online and offline promotional activities, including "Micro Curation" and "Grand Travel Notes" generated considerable interest, with a total of 1.93 million participants.

Creating Visitor-Friendly Facilities to Enhance Travel Convenience

1. Taiwan Tourist Shuttle: In 2023, the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle operated 72 routes with a total ridership of 4.61 million, up 1.4 million passengers or 43.87% compared to the same period in 2022. In coordination with an Executive Yuan plan to boost public transportation use, the service offered 50% fare discounts for electronic ticket holders (including mobile payments), added new services, transport hubs to scenic spots and routes connecting scenic spots, and integrated scenic spot features into bus stop signs. As of May 20, 2023, a total of 60 routes offered the 50% fare discount activity for electronic ticket holders, with a cumulative ridership of over four million. Sixteen Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes applied for increased services, adding over 1,910 trips per month. Additionally, Taiwan Tourist Shuttle continued to enhance its travel service website and promote mobile payment ticketing services on routes, significantly enhancing digital tourism services.
2. Taiwan Tour Bus: In 2023, guidance was provided to 24 travel agencies to launch 93 Taiwan Tour Bus package tours, plan six major themed tours such as wellness and healing travel. Combined with tourism circle resources, leading tourists to deepen their local experiences. In coordination with the Executive Yuan's "Promoting Public Transportation Usage Plan," launched a "Buy One, Get One Free" promotion for "Taiwan Tour Bus" on both weekdays and weekends, with 22 travel agencies offering 83 routes. Also, guided "Taiwan Tour Bus" to collaborate with over 200 lodging operators to provide transportation from accommodation locations to scenic spots and booking services. In 2023, the total ridership reached 49,427, an increase of 90.34% compared to 2022.

Sustainable Development of Scenic Areas and Improved Activity Management

1. In 2023, the Tourism Administration promoted key projects in coordination with the special budget under Phase 4 of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. Among these was ongoing development and entrance linkages at the Mao'ao Story Experience Area, the Ita Thau Zhongzheng Parking Lot, and enhancement of the recreational environment in the Fenqihu area.
2. A total of 56 key projects were completed at national scenic areas in 2023. These included improvements to the Longmen Camp Site facilities, enhancements to the Xiaoyeliu Visitor Center service facilities, and construction of the Qimei Visitor Center. These projects have raised the service standards at these visitor sites, creating attractive destinations for both local and international visitors.
3. Created accessible travel environments at national scenic areas in 2023, including establishment of 208 accessible travel sites and 40 accessible recommended itineraries.
4. Provided guidance to 15 businesses at national scenic areas in obtaining international Good Travel Seal (GTS) green travel certification, including eight 1-Star GTS, six 2-Star GTS, and one 3-Star GTS recipient.
On February 22, 2023, Article 10 of the Regulations Governing Water Recreation Activities was amended and promulgated to remove the requirement for operators to provide injury insurance for tourists. The revised law instead requires that operators have liability insurance to protect visitor rights.
The MOTC established a Joint Supervisory Team for Central Agency Coordination on Camping Management. The Tourism Administration was tasked with integrating related ministries such as tourism, agriculture, construction management, and land administration, to supervise local governments in implementing camp site management and assist local governments in processing applications for camping site establishment.

Upgrading Smart Tourism, Integrating Online and Offline Marketing

1. Expanding the Tourism Big Data Platform: In 2023, the Tourism Administration incorporated and linked with 21 internal and external data sources, 221 datasets, and approximately 73 million data records, as well as developed 285 business statistical analysis services. We completed a Tourism Big Data Analysis and Query Website and Administrative Platform, developed query and analysis functions for scenic area vehicle and pedestrian flow data, and developed and verified tourism industry indicator modules and crowd prediction models for scenic areas.
2. Hardware, software, and information services designed for the characteristics of closed, open, and island-type recreational scenic areas were introduced, including smart restrooms and smart parking lots. Smart traffic detection systems were installed in parking lots to promote smart administration of scenic areas and improve visitor satisfaction. A total of 54 smart parking lots, 74 real-time crowd monitoring points, and 78 traffic monitoring points at key intersections were completed. E-commerce services were also introduced at 76 popular scenic areas.





Management of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and LINE@ was strengthened to provide travel information. Physical tour activities were live broadcast and 30-second short videos were filmed to promote local tourism resources. Additionally, we collaborated with various industries, the LINE Travel platform, and LINE Travel Live to connect multiple platforms and reach target audiences.