Taiwan’s post-coronavirus tourism target unrealistic as global travel sputters back to life
- Taiwan intends to restore tourist arrivals to pre-pandemic levels of about 10 million per year by 2024
- But industry insiders say that is ‘optimistic’, with airlines still rebuilding capacity and tourists spending cautiously
Taiwan, which lost a burgeoning international travel sector to the coronavirus pandemic nearly three years ago, will miss its 2024 tourism revival goal without strategies to lure people for longer or customised stays, a global tourism association says.
Taiwan intends to restore tourist arrivals to pre-pandemic levels of about 10 million per year by 2024, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said in October.
But airlines need time to rebuild their routes, while cash-conscious tourists are making new demands after two years of mulling over what they want out of a trip, said Hiro Liao, vice-president of Skal International East Asia and president of Skal International Taipei. The 90-year-old tourist association has 13,000 members in about 100 countries.
“I feel personally 2024 is quite optimistic, to be honest,” Liao said. “One parameter the government should think about is rethinking the metrics.”