TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Tourism Administration Director-General Chou Yung-hui (周永暉) said Tuesday the agency will allow migrant workers to work in the hospitality sector in the second half of this year.
Chou said the hospitality industry must prioritize hiring local workers to protect domestic labor rights. He added that migrant workers employed in the sector will be required to have basic proficiency in English or Mandarin, per CNA.
The administration will discuss with the Ministry of Labor and the hotel association the number of migrant workers to be allowed into the sector, Chou said. He noted that once the relevant employment details are finalized, the administration will make a public announcement.
As of last year, Taiwan’s hospitality sector faced a labor shortage of around 8,000 workers. Among them, 5,500 were housekeeping and cleaning staff, while the rest were front-of-house and reception personnel. The labor ministry attributed the shortage to heavy workloads and relatively low salaries.
Nearly 7.86 million tourists visited Taiwan last year, and around 3.5 million visitors arrived between January and April this year, according to the administration. Transportation Minister Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) hopes the number of visitors to Taiwan will reach 10 million by the end of this year.
Taiwan’s hospitality industry saw a significant recovery last year, generating NT$180 billion (US$5.3 billion) in revenue, a 40% increase compared to the pandemic period. However, the number of tourist hotels declined by 6.8% from 2018 to 382, while regular hotels decreased slightly by 1.4% to 3,812. In contrast, bed-and-breakfast establishments experienced strong growth, rising 62% since 2018 to nearly 7,000.
Chen said that in addition to promoting well-known attractions such as Taroko Gorge and Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan's tourism can be integrated with other industries, such as medical aesthetics, to create unique travel experiences and boost visitor spending.
Chou added the administration will introduce a travel industry recovery program before August, part of which will benefit travel agencies.
