TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Tourism Administration said visitor numbers from Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia declined last year.

Visitors from Singapore declined the most, down 5.41% from the previous year, followed by Vietnam, down 2.94%, and Malaysia, down 0.02%, per CNA.

The administration speculated that a post-COVID-19 travel slowdown caused the decline. Additionally, the weaker Japanese yen attracted tourists to other destinations last year.

The administration said it would strengthen cooperation with the Singapore travel industry. It also plans to collaborate with Malaysian influencers to introduce new travel experiences.

This year, the administration's Bangkok office invited Thai photographer Kankavee and graffiti artist Benzilla to Taiwan for projects. Their 3D works, displayed on Bangkok Mass Transit System subway cars and stations, offer Thai passengers an immersive experience of Taiwan's beauty.

Taiwan welcomed 7.85 million visitors last year, nearly 1.4 million more than in 2023. Japanese tourists numbered 1.31 million, a 42.35% year-over-year increase, followed by 1.19 million visitors from Hong Kong and one million from South Korea.

Visitors from the Philippines to Taiwan exceeded 460,000 last year, ranking the country fifth in visitor numbers for the first time. The administration said the Philippines was the largest source of Southeast Asian visitors to Taiwan last year, followed by Malaysia with about 380,000 visitors, Singapore with 370,000, Thailand with 350,000, and Vietnam with 340,000.

Taiwan's outbound travelers reached 16.84 million last year, a 42.84% increase from 2023. Taiwan's visitors to Japan surpassed a record 6 million, followed by 2.77 million visitors to China and 1.42 million to South Korea.