TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan saw fewer than five million visitors from January to August, implying the total for the year will reach eight million at the most, reports said Tuesday (Oct. 15).
Officials initially hoped for 12 million visitors in 2024, an increase from 11 million per year before the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the April 3 earthquake in Hualien and typhoons Gaemi and Krathon kept more travelers away, Radio Taiwan International reported.
The year started with 810,000 arrivals per month, but after the earthquake fell to 610,000, and then below 600,000 in May-July. Numbers recovered slightly in August, with the monthly total reaching 616,000, taking the figure for the first eight months of the year to 4.96 million.
If the current level is maintained for the last four months of the year, the total for 2024 would only reach eight million. The original 12 million target was abandoned after it became clear China was not going to allow mass tourism to Taiwan, while natural disasters and promotional visa policies by other countries also cut into the number of visitors to Taiwan, said Providence University Tourism Professor Huang Jeng-tsung (黃正聰).