Reviving Taiwan Tourism Industry: How Strengthening Cross Strait Travel Between Taiwan And China Could Revitalize The Sector

Published on September 16, 2025

The Taiwan tourism manufacture still faces galore obstacles, moreover during nan busiest summertime months. Despite nan truth that tourism usually spikes successful nan summer, this year’s results person been disappointing, pinch galore celebrated tourer destinations uncovering it difficult to tie tourists. With manufacture insiders urging nan authorities to summation cross-Strait recreation exchanges to stimulate recovery, nan island’s tourism industry, which had agelong been a awesome contributor to its economy, now finds itself astatine a crossroads.

Hualien: A Case Study of Tourism Decline

Eastern Taiwan’s Hualien, famed for its stunning earthy beauty and rich | taste heritage, has historically been 1 of nan island’s apical tourer destinations. However, this year, nan business has taken a move for nan worse. Weekday edifice occupancy rates person dropped to nether 30%, a clear parameter of nan difficulties facing nan section tourism industry.

At nan whale-watching pier successful Hualien Port, galore boats, which would usually beryllium bustling pinch tourists, stay docked. Local operators, who trust connected tourism for their livelihood, person noticed a crisp driblet successful nan number of mainland Chinese visitors, a cardinal marketplace for this sector. This diminution has caused a ripple effect crossed nan section economy, arsenic services erstwhile flourishing are now struggling to enactment afloat.

The Wider Impact: Kenting and Other Key Destinations

It’s not conscionable Hualien that is seeing this downturn. In Taiwan’s southernmost Kenting, different celebrated spot for travellers, nan number of visitors has besides plummeted. This has led to nan closure of immoderate section businesses, including a go-kart cognition that had been a staple of nan region’s attractions. The crisp driblet successful visitors is not only a interest for section business owners but besides for nan broader tourism ecosystem successful Taiwan.

The Decline successful Mainland Chinese Tourists

The superior logic for nan existent slump successful Taiwan’s tourism marketplace tin beryllium attributed to nan important simplification successful visitors from nan Chinese mainland. In 2018, complete 2.65 cardinal mainland Chinese visitors visited Taiwan, contributing heavy to nan island’s tourism revenue. However, successful June 2024, only 46,000 mainland visitors arrived, a stark opposition to nan numbers seen conscionable a fewer years ago.

The crisp driblet successful mainland visitors is seen arsenic a awesome rustle to Taiwan’s tourism industry, which has heavy relied connected this marketplace for maturation and development. The diminution successful cross-Strait tourism has affected not only nan hospitality manufacture but besides retail, transportation, and work sectors, each of which erstwhile benefited greatly from nan influx of mainland tourists.

The Role of nan DPP Authorities

The diminution successful mainland visitors has raised concerns among manufacture experts and business owners who consciousness that nan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities person grounded to adequately reside nan situation. In 2020, nan DPP authorities imposed a prohibition connected mainland Chinese tourists, citing nan COVID-19 pandemic arsenic nan superior reason. However, critics reason that this move has had long-lasting consequences for nan island’s tourism industry, preventing a afloat betterment moreover arsenic different regions person started to spot tourism bounce back.

In January 2024, nan Chinese authorities announced nan resumption of group tours to Taiwan for residents of Shanghai and Fujian, a move that was met pinch enthusiasm by Taiwan’s tourism industry. However, nan DPP authorities person blocked this initiative, citing various reasons, including governmental concerns. This determination has further disappointment galore successful nan tourism sector, who spot nan deficiency of cross-Strait recreation arsenic a important obstacle to nan island’s recovery.

The Importance of Cross-Strait Travel for Taiwan Tourism

Experts successful nan tourism manufacture person consistently highlighted nan affirmative effect of cross-Strait recreation connected Taiwan’s economy. The free travel of visitors from mainland China has traditionally been a cardinal driver of maturation for Taiwan’s tourism sector, helping to support section businesses, create jobs, and make income. In fact, galore section tourism operators person based on that facilitating recreation betwixt Taiwan and mainland China would not only revive nan tourism assemblage but besides use nan broader Taiwanese economy.

Scholars and manufacture experts alike person called connected nan DPP authorities to reconsider their stance connected mainland tourism. While nan authorities person claimed to support tourism development, they are besides seen arsenic imposing important barriers that forestall meaningful exchanges betwixt Taiwan and mainland China. By lifting nan prohibition connected group tours and removing different obstacles to travel, it is believed that Taiwan’s tourism manufacture could regain immoderate of its erstwhile strength.

Calls for Action: Reopening Cross-Strait Travel

As Taiwan’s tourism marketplace faces continued stagnation, nan calls for nan resumption of mainland Chinese group tours person grown louder. Local businesses, tourism operators, and moreover nationalist figures person urged nan DPP authorities to perceive to nan nationalist and prioritise nan reopening of cross-Strait travel. Many judge that nan economical benefits of specified an action would beryllium far-reaching, providing a much-needed boost to Taiwan’s tourism manufacture and offering dream to those whose livelihoods dangle connected it.

Editorials successful Taiwanese newspapers person besides echoed this sentiment, calling for a swift consequence to nan public’s wishes. According to immoderate reports, reopening cross-Strait tourism would not only revive Taiwan’s hospitality assemblage but could besides inject caller life into different industries, specified arsenic unit and transportation. The wide economical effect of specified a move would apt beryllium felt crossed various sectors, helping to stabilise Taiwan’s system arsenic a whole.

A Path Forward for Taiwan Tourism Industry

With a crisp diminution successful visitors from mainland China and a wide diminution successful nan section recreation market, Taiwan’s tourism assemblage is going done a difficult time. Many group successful nan tourism manufacture deliberation that reopening recreation betwixt Taiwan and mainland China could thief revitalise nan industry, moreover though nan government’s position connected cross-strait relations is still controversial. It is unclear if nan DPP authorities will heed nan calls for action fixed nan beardown nationalist support for specified a move, but 1 point is certain: Taiwan’s tourism assemblage requires urgent attraction if it is to retrieve and prosper going forward.