Tourism Administration Anniversary – Ushering in a New Era of Sustainable Tourism
The Tourism Administration was officially inaugurated in September 2023. On September 15, 2024, it celebrated the first anniversary of its transformation from the Tourism Bureau. To mark the occasion, the Administration hosted the 2024 Taiwan Sustainable Tourism Summit Forum at the GIS MOTC Convention Center, alongside the themed exhibition “Glorious Taiwan: Sustainable Tourism, Connecting with the World.” The exhibition highlighted the past, present, and future of Taiwan’s tourism. From the Tourism Bureau to the Tourism Administration, the baton has been passed with excellence at every stage, bringing together industry leaders and the public, both at home and abroad, to join hands in shaping a new era for Taiwan’s tourism.
Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Expanding Visitor Sources and Boosting Economic Value
In response to international tourism trends and changes after the pandemic, Taiwan is advancing along the twin pillars of "Sustainability, Resilience, and Digital Innovation," as outlined in the "Tourism 2025 – Toward 2025" program, with the aim of achieving sustainable tourism development by 2030. This effort is aligned with national policies such as the Special Act for Enhancing Economic and Social Resilience and Public Sharing of Economic Achievement in the Post-pandemic Era (including measures to accelerate the attraction of international tourists and improve public transportation to tourist sites), developing key and forward-looking tourist attractions, and advancing the 0403 Hualien Earthquake Tourism Revitalization Plan. Furthermore, in line with the Executive Yuan's directive passed on May 30, 2024, to “enhance tourism highlights and drive a trillion-dollar industry,” the strategy integrates sustainability, resilience, and digital innovation as key principles to further attract international visitors to Taiwan.
Inbound Tourism Rebounds Over 21% on Steady Recovery
In 2024, Taiwan welcomed 7,857,686 inbound visitors, up 21.13% from 2023 (6,486,951), showing steady and sustained growth. The Japan, Hong Kong–Macau, and South Korea markets each exceeded one million visitors. The European and American markets also recovered strongly, with the US market performing particularly well—up 7.64% compared to pre-pandemic levels—showing a solid recovery of inbound tourism.
Upgrading Taiwan's Tourism Brand and Expanding International Promotion Bases
Flexible promotion under a new tourism brand: On May 6, 2024, the Tourism Administration launched the Tourism Brand 3.0: TAIWAN-Waves of Wonder. Image advertisements were broadcast intensively in various city markets to promote Taiwan's tourism image. In Q4 2024, a new international promotional video was released, pairing the 3.0 brand with influential media channels in major source markets (including BBC in the UK, CNN in the US, outdoor screens in New York's Times Square, and digital platforms such as Netflix, Google, and YouTube). New annual tourism ambassadors were also introduced in the Japan, Korea, Malaysia (Muslim), Indonesia, Thailand, and Philippines markets, featuring prominent stars such as Japanese actor Satoshi Tsumabuki, South Korean Kyuhyun of Super Junior, Malaysian actress Nabila Razali, Indonesian superstar Mikha Tambayoung Mahenra, Thai actor Teeradetch Metawarayut, and Philippine celebrities Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramo. These campaigns and representatives generated buzz about Taiwan tourism to drive visitor growth.
Expanding Taiwan's international presence and further developing new markets: In 2024, the Tourism Administration successively established Taiwan Tourism Information Center (TTIC) offices in Jakarta, Mumbai, Paris, Vancouver, and Manila. It also drew up plans to progressively add TTICs in Sydney, Amsterdam, Seattle, and other cities to develop future source markets.
Attracting Visitors through the Inbound Tourism Revitalization Plan: Under the "Tourism 2025 – Broadening Tourism Source Markets Plan," incentives were provided for overseas companies to send tour groups to Taiwan, with 165 groups (approximately 14,881 visitors) applying in 2024. To encourage international visitors to explore Taiwan's outlying islands, on November 12, 2024, the Guidelines on Subsidies for International Charter Flights to Taiwan were revised to lower eligibility thresholds for island-bound charters. Cruise tourism promotion involved integrating shore excursion resources at six major cruise ports including Kaohsiung and Taichung, and publishing a new cruise guide and brochure. Subsidy programs for inbound cruises and "Fly-Cruise" packages continued, supporting both port-of-call visits and homeport itineraries. In 2024, nine cruise voyages applied for subsidies, recovering to about 70% of the pre-pandemic (2019) level. On July 10, 2024, the Fly-Cruise subsidy guidelines were revised to include domestic travel agencies as eligible applicants and simplify application procedures.
Five-Pronged Approach to Accelerate International Visitor Growth: The Tourism Administration promoted the "Accelerated and Expanded Inbound Tourism Promotion Program" was actively promoted to boost both free independent traveler (FIT) and group arrivals starting in May 2023. More than 4.61 million people participated in the 2024 FIT travel spending lottery campaign, while over 24,000 tour groups totaling more than 430,000 group members, applied for subsidies. The five-pronged approach included: participating in overseas travel fairs in target markets, hosting seminars and promotional events, running digital video advertisements, placing out-of-home (OOH) advertising, and inviting key opinion leaders (KOLs) for visits combined with social media marketing.
Integrating Resources and Expanding Inter-Agency Cooperation to Accelerate Tourism Development: The vice premier held monthly Interdepartmental Project Meetings on Promoting Tourism Travel to Taiwan, with 16 sessions held in 2024. Each meeting set target visitor numbers for specific markets and coordinated agency efforts to attract international travelers. The Executive Yuan Tourism Industry Revitalization Advisory Council was also established, chaired by the vice premier. The meetings fostered inter-ministerial cooperation, engaged experts, and encouraged industry dialogue to integrate tourism resources and accelerate industry growth.
Island-Wide Highlights Spur Domestic Tourism and Boost Local Industries
Promoting Thematic Tourism Events
Six flagship events were promoted—the Taiwan Lantern Festival, Solar Festival in Taiwan, Taiwan Cycling Festival, Taiwan Hot Spring Fine-Cuisine Festival, Taiwan Culinary Exhibition, and East Coast Moonlit Sea Concert—to attract domestic and international visitors to Taiwan. In November 2024, the Taiwan Tourism 100 Spotlights campaign was launched in partnership with local governments and other ministries to continue driving the domestic tourism market.
Bicycle tourism was promoted through events such as the Tour de France Challenge in Taiwan on November 30, 2024, which attracted 2,500 international participants.
Indigenous tourism was promoted through the 2024 Taiwan Indigenous Tourism Festival, held from November 29 to December 1, 2024. The festival showcased achievements in developing indigenous tourism and highlighted the cultural uniqueness of Taiwan's 16 indigenous peoples.
Promoting Themed Tourism
Senior-friendly tourism branding and promotion: In 2024, five "Golden Years" training and briefing sessions were held, with a total of 374 travel industry participants. A media familiarization tour in September 2024 further enhanced brand exposure.
The Taiwan Tourism Events Calendar featured 108 selected events (40 international-level and 68 national-level). In 2024, total attendance exceeded 84.69 million visits, generating NT$113.8 billion in economic benefits.
Promoting the "100 Tourism Spotlights of Taiwan"
Building on the success of the first Tourism Spotlights Award, the 100 Tourism Spotlights of Taiwan" campaign will be carried out from November 2024 to October 2025 in partnership with 22 local governments. Visitors are encouraged to explore spotlight attractions, join events, and enjoy promotions each month, fostering year-round tourism and boosting local industries.
Convenient Transport Services for Seamless Travel in Taiwan
Implementation of the Public Transport Shuttle Program for Tourist Attractions included enhancements to the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle and local shuttle services along tourism corridors. Half-price fares, increased service frequency, new stops at and between attractions, and themed stop signage improved service quality. In addition, the Taiwan Tour Bus offered a "2-for-1" travel promotion, improving travel affordability and convenience.
Enhancement of the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle service: In 2024, ridership reached 5.65 million passengers, a 22.4% increase over 2023.
Local shuttle services along tourism corridors: From July 1 to December 31, 2023, and from March 1 to December 31, 2024, operators were encouraged to offer "2-for-1" tickets on the Taiwan Tour Bus year-round. In 2024, the service carried over 115,000 passengers, marking a 133% increase from 2023.
Optimizing the Tourism Industry Environment and Supporting Transformation
In 2024, the Tourism Administration arranged four sustainability-related training sessions and two on-site corporate visits. During these events, 320 participants from 100 travel companies received guidance on sustainable business practices.
In 2024, the Tourism Administration arranged four sustainability-related training sessions and two on-site corporate visits. During these events, 320 participants from 100 travel companies received guidance on sustainable business practices.
The Tourism Administration implemented the Guidelines of the Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications for Subsidizing the Enhancement of Accommodation Quality. The administration received over 1,409 applications for related projects, such as installing accessible facilities, introducing smart technologies, and promoting sustainable development. In 2024, subsidies were expanded to cover domestic and international sustainability, energy-saving, carbon-reduction, and green certifications to encourage industry alignment with global trends.
The administration continued to provide guidance to the amusement park sector in introducing innovative services, smart parks, safe tourism, age-friendly facilities, and green sustainability. In 2024, a total of 17 operators received subsidies totaling NT$48.86 million, driving total investments of approximately NT$125 million.
Upgrading the Tourism Workforce to Improve Service Quality
In 2024, tourism workforce training programs trained 407 travel industry managers, 879 key personnel, 4,488 participants through the Tourism Career eLearning College, 124 tour guides in less common languages through evaluation and coaching, 875 tour guides through on-the-job training, 965 tour guides in pre-employment training, and 1,768 tour leaders in pre-employment training, totaling 9,506 participants.
Eight thematic courses and one special course were held for tourism and hotel mid-level managers in 2024, providing training for 452 participants.
Cross-ministerial job matching and recruitment initiatives supported tour guide and leader associations in organizing over 104 matching events in 2024, with more than 2,065 participants.
The Subsidy Program for Maintaining International Guest Reception Capacity supported the hiring of 2,811 new hotel housekeeping and cleaning staff between April 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024.
Creating Diverse Attractions and Promoting Tourism Area Branding
Under the Forward-looking Tourism Infrastructure Development Plan (2021–2025), six national scenic area administrations, including the Northeast and Yilan Coast, and Penghu, will be developed into world-class destinations. Twelve landmark projects were completed in 2024, including the Ita Thau Zhongzheng Parking Lot and service facility upgrades at Aimen Beach.
Under the Mid-term Plan for Construction of Major Scenic Sites (2024–2027)," 49 projects were completed in 2024. They include the creation of leisure spaces at Longdong Bay Ocean Park in the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area, and the establishment of service facilities at Beigan Township Stronghold 08 in the Matsu National Scenic Area.
The Forward-looking Regional Tourism Brands initiative completed 16 landmark projects in 2024, including the "Mountain-Sea Leisure Corridor" integrating villages, railways, and cycling, and the "Northern Cross-Island Story – Jiaobanshan Tourism Area."
Strengthening Scenic Area Maintenance and Regularly Reviewing Event Regulations
As of the end of 2024, 178 universally accessible tourist attractions and 43 recommended accessible itineraries had been established in national scenic areas, providing a friendly travel environment.
In 2024, the administration assisted 14 businesses within national scenic areas in obtaining the international Good Travel Seal (GTS). Four earned two-star certification and ten gained one-star certification.
On April 16, 2024, the Regulations Governing Water Recreation Activities were amended to add "freediving" as a category and stipulate rules for guided freediving activities, enhancing visitor safety.
A Central Government Joint Task Force on Campground Management was established to coordinate relevant ministries and supervise local governments in enforcing campground regulations. From 2024 to March 2025, four meetings were held to provide guidance on campground permit applications.
The Tourism Administration worked with local tourism organizations and industry partners to re-brand seven regional tourism brands in northern, central, southern, and eastern Taiwan and three outlying island areas. Key events in 2024 included the National Scenic Area Tourism Circle Achievement Showcase" (July 3) to enhance cross-sector collaboration through the sharing of industry experience; the Northern Tourism Zone Strategy Forum (August 26) to develop a future vision and strategic direction for northern tourism; and the Southern Tourism Zone: Sharing International Perspectives Meeting (December 11), to develop a vision and international marketing strategies for southern tourism. From October 25 to November 24, four Tourism regional Market Days were held in northern, central, southern, and eastern Taiwan. Seventy local high-quality brands gathered at Huashan 1914 Creative Park during each event to strengthen resource integration and stimulate the local economy.
Leveraging Technology and Big Data to Smarten Tourism
In 2024, a Project Management Office (PMO) was established to oversee smart development planning for national scenic areas. The office completed a smart tourism blueprint in October and promoted the development of smart scenic areas and digitalization of the tourism industry.
In 2024, the new databases were integrated in the Tourism Big Data Platform, including data from EV charging stations in national scenic areas and the MOTC's Transport Data eXchange (TDX). External data sets were also added, covering inbound/outbound tourism statistics for Asian competitor countries and travel demand data for the Korean market, alongside platform upgrades.
Under a "mobile first" concept, the Tourism Administration developed the Taiwan Tourist Information Website in 11 language versions and a responsive web design. The site offers localized travel information, details on visitor service centers (including information stations), and an AI-powered tourism assistant to provide real-time information on attractions.
In 2024, AI Smart Counter real-time translation services were introduced at Kaohsiung Airport. Southeast Asian languages were added to enhance services for New Southbound Policy markets.
The 2024 Digital Transformation Expo for the Tourism Industry was held on December 3–4. The event attracted 41 companies and showcased over 70 tech applications to more than 5,603 participants.
The Fun Tech Jam was launched to connect tourism and tech operators. In addition, the 2024 Tourism Open Data Hackathon invited university students to present value-added digital applications as competition submissions using open data from the Tourism Administration.
The Tourism Administration, national scenic area administrations, and overseas offices managed 70 social media accounts targeted at specific markets, integrating online and offline channels to promote Taiwan.
Hualien–Taitung Revitalization Plan to Accelerate Tourism Recovery
Independent Travel Accommodation Subsidies: In 2024, the Post-Earthquake Incentives for Individual Travelers' Accommodation Discounts to Revitalize Hualien campaign received over 740,000 room applications in Hualien County and over 240,000 in Taitung County.
Group Travel Subsidies: By the end of the program in December 2024, Hualien had received applications from 2,182 groups with about 52,000 members. Taitung received applications from 1,790 groups with about 49,000 members.
Amusement Park Admission Discounts: From October 7 to November 30, 2024, 104,534 visits were made through the discounted admission program.
From June 1 to December 31, 2024, the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle in the Yilan–Hualien–Taitung area offered free rides with e-tickets, and the Taiwan Tour Bus offered 80% fare discounts. These services attracted 206,704 and 56,943 riders, respectively. From July 1 to November 30, the Taiwan PASS TRA Edition "2-for-1" limited offer sold 8,586 passes (17,172 tickets).
Between July 1 and December 31, 2024, additional incentives were offered for international charter flights to airports in Hualien and Taitung to attract more international visitors to eastern Taiwan. Over 20 charter flights from Thailand, Brunei, Vietnam, and Hong Kong were arranged during this period, bringing in more than 1,500 international visitors. From August 1 to December 31, the incentive program for foreign tour groups staying in Hualien and Taitung was also expanded, with a total of 312 groups applying for the benefits.
