TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO) said approximately 400,000 Taiwan tourists are expected to travel to the U.S. this year, which is 78.6% of pre COVID-19 pandemic levels in 2019, per CNA.

Direct travel from Taiwan to the U.S. includes the following destinations: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, and New York City. Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) reported the passenger load factor on Taiwan's flights to and from the U.S. last year was over 90%.

Passenger records from popular carriers such as China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux, reveal that many U.S. flights are fully booked for the  summer vacation, with business-class travel also experiencing high occupancy.

Lo Shih-wen (羅世玟), representative of Brand USA, which markets the U.S. to global travelers worldwide, said NTTO estimated 78 million international visitors will visit the U.S. this year, a 15.4% increase from 67 million in 2023.

Lo said this trend is expected to continue, with international visitors reaching 85.2 million in 2025, exceeding the previous high of 79.4 million before the COVID pandemic in 2019.

Seattle is the northernmost destination for flights from Taiwan to the western United States. It is also the shortest direct route from Taiwan to the western U.S., with a flight time of 11 hours, about one hour less than flight times to San Francisco and Los Angeles.

EVA Air was the first to fly from Taipei to Seattle in 1993, and China Airlines operated a route from 2004 to 2008, restarting the route on Sunday (July 14). Delta Air Lines also offers flights on this route, and Starlux will begin operating the route in mid-August.

In total,  25 flights per week will travel between Taipei and Seattle, with three or more flights soon to be available to passengers every day.