Tourism in Taiwan is one of the major industries and contributor to the economy of Taiwan. In 2022, Taiwan received under 900,000 international visitors, down from 11.8 million in 2019. Tourism affairs are managed by the Tourism Bureau of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications of Taiwan.
There are numerous attractions in Taiwan. Major national icons or tourist attractions include:
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The top 12 nationalities of international visitors for tourism purpose (pleasure) are:
The top international visitors in Taiwan for all purposes are:
In 2022, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan received fewer than 900,000 international visitors. To encourage more tourists, selected participants from Canada, the United States, Japan, Slovakia, France, the Netherlands, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, India, and Israel were invited in 2023 to promote Taiwan on their social media pages. The Taiwan Tourism Bureau also planned to offer monetary "tourist cards" to visitors from certain countries, offering discounts on travel and accommodation.
Tourism in Taiwan includes business, pleasure, visiting relatives, conferences, study, exhibitions, medical treatment and others.
There has been a surge in tourism numbers noticeably around election time in Taiwan, especially tourists from China. However, tourists from China have declined significantly since President Tsai Ing-Wen took office in 2016. Tsai is a member of the Democratic Progressive Party, which the Chinese Communist Party opposes. Therefore, the Chinese government has reduced the number of travel visas issued to its citizens to visit Taiwan.
Agritourism forms a significant part of the total revenue for the agricultural industry. Many small family farms rely on tourism as their primary means of earning an income. Leisure farms, farm tours, farm stays, and other tourism related activities are popular both with domestic Taiwanese travelers and with international ones. The Taiwanese Agritourism industry has received significant state support. In 2018 TreeHugger ranked Taiwan the #1 agritourism destination in the world. In 2021 as a result of the tourism downturn due to the COVID-19 pandemic the Council of Agriculture announced subsidies for leisure farms.
Fruit tourism is a subsection of agritourism with fruit picking being the prime attraction. Taiwan's diverse subtropical climate means that there is always some sort of fruit in season. Fruit tourism is popular with both domestic and international tourists. The region of Pingtung in particular is a fruit tourism destination.
Culinary tourism forms a significant segment of Taiwan's tourist industry. By 2024, a significant percentage of specialty coffeehouses in Taiwan were roasting their own beans, and tourists had started visiting Taiwan specifically to go "cafe hopping."
Taiwan has used culinary diplomacy to bolster its tourism sector and to conduct diplomacy in countries with which it has limited official ties.
In 2015, 87% of Taiwanese had domestic travel for their tourism activities, in which the Kenting National Park became their most favorite destination. They spent an average of NT$9,323 per capita for each vacation, which was mainly for accommodation expenditure.
The 2013 annual income for Taiwan from tourism-related industries topped at NT$366.8 billion (US$12.3 billion), an increase of 4.7% from the previous year. The average daily spending of each tourist in 2013 was US$224.07, a decrease of 4.37% from the previous year.
In 2015, total revenue from tourism amounted US$14.39 billion, with an average daily spending by each visitor of US$208.
In 2015, the average length of stay for each tourist visiting Taiwan was 6.63 nights.
Taiwan has yet to nominate possible inscriptions in any UNESCO networks, such as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, World Heritage List, World Network of Biosphere Reserves, Creative Cities Network, and Global Geoparks Network, due to China's rejection of the country's entrance to UNESCO. However, in order make use of the conservation concepts achieved by the UNESCO networks, the Bureau of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry of Culture began in 2002 to compile a list of potential world heritage sites in Taiwan with currently 18 entries.
Tourists mainly arrive by air and Taoyuan International Airport serves as the most popular airport bringing international tourists into Taiwan as it is the largest airport in Taiwan and important regional hub. Other major airports in Taiwan which facilitate international visitors include Kaohsiung International Airport servicing southern Taiwan, Taichung Airport servicing central Taiwan and Taipei Songshan Airport servicing central Taipei.
Tourists are able to travel around the island by using a wide variety of transportation modes. The most popular ways are Taiwan High Speed Rail, conventional trains on Taiwan Railway, and the metropolitan cities' metro systems such as the Taipei Metro, Taoyuan Metro, and Kaohsiung MRT as a result of multiple transport hubs which allow travellers to easily transfer between the different systems. A tourist bus called "Taiwan Tourist Shuttle" and taxis are also popular.