TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Tourism Administration expects between 9.3 million and 9.4 million overseas visitors to travel to Taiwan this year, reports said Tuesday.

Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said reaching at least 9 million would not be a problem, as January arrivals rose 11% from the same month last year to 722,000, per CNA. In 2025, Taiwan welcomed 8.57 million overseas visitors, up 9% from 2024.

The largest group of visitors in January came from South Korea, followed by Japan, and Hong Kong and Macau. For February, Chen did not expect a significant increase, citing the absence of major holidays overseas and cool weather in Taiwan.

The administration’s efforts to make Taiwan tourism less reliant on one market were bearing fruit, Chen said. Visitor numbers from Europe and North America were increasing, and Southeast Asia — especially the Philippines — showed strong growth. However, officials said diversification has also made overseas promotion more complicated.