South Korean visitors last year surpassed tourists from China, Hong Kong and Macau as the top daily tourist spenders in Taiwan, a survey released yesterday by the Tourism Administration showed.
The aggregate expenditure of international visitors in Taiwan topped US$8.661 billion last year, 60 percent of 2019 amount.
Last year, the average daily amount spent by tourists was down 7.78 percent from 2019 at US$180.67, the survey showed.
Photo: CNA
South Koreans ranked first in average daily spending at US$212.14, followed by US$197.62 among Japanese and US$197.33 among US visitors, it showed.
South Korean tourists spent about US$44.96 per day, compared with US$37.20 spent by Chinese and US$36.17 by tourists from Hong Kong or Macau, it showed.
Japanese tourists preferred Taiwanese tea, while tourists from South Korea, Europe and North America tended to purchase more souvenirs and handicrafts, it showed.
Those from China, Hong Kong and countries targeted by the government’s New Southbound Policy prefered clothing and accessories, it showed.
The number of Japanese visitors and their daily spending declined significantly last year due to a devaluation of the yen and global inflation, the survey showed.
The nation welcomed 928,000 Japanese tourists last year, 42 percent of the level in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, it showed.
Their average daily spending was down nearly 14 percent compared with 2019, the survey showed.
Collectively, they contributed about US$1 billion to the nation’s tourism revenue, it showed.
By contrast, 37 percent of international visitors were from countries targeted by the New Southbound Policy, including Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, due to streamlined visa application procedures and other incentives, it showed.
Policy countries have emerged as the largest source of international tourists in the post-pandemic era, it showed.
Visitors in the post-pandemic era are often influenced by social media or through word of mouth, it showed.
Most international visitors tend to decide to travel within a short period and prefer to travel independently with greater flexibility, the survey showed.
International tourists favored attractions in Taiwan’s north, the survey showed.
Overall, average daily spending among international visitors, including accommodation, food and shopping, decreased compared with 2019, but the average number of days they stayed was greater than that before the pandemic — 7.39 nights compared with 6.2 nights in 2019 — the survey showed.
Nearly 90 percent of tourists traveled to Taiwan independently, up 6.5 percent from 2019, the survey showed.
On average, tourists started planning for trips to Taiwan about 29 days in advance, down from 52 days in 2019, it showed.
The most popular tourist attractions were night markets, Taipei 101, Ximending (西門町) and Jiufen (九份), the same as in 2019, it showed.
Fifty percent of respondents said that they had visited Taiwan previously.
Their favorite activities in Taiwan were shopping, and visiting night markets and historic sites, and they were deeply impressed by the food and snacks, they said.
The top three scenic spots were Sun Moon Lake, Pingsi District (平溪) in New Taipei City and Jiufen, they said.
They rated highly the friendliness of locals, the convenience of public transport, the low crime rate and safe travel environment.
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