Number of Japanese visitors to Taiwan grows nearly 50%: Agency

Taipei, Nov. 13 (CNA) More than 1 million Japanese travelers visited Taiwan in the first 10 months of this year, marking an increase of nearly 50 percent compared to the same period last year, the Tourism Administration reported Wednesday.

With this growth, the number of Japanese visitors is projected to reach a new high in the fourth quarter, the largest Q4 total since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said in a statement.

Data from the agency showed that Japan was the second-largest source of inbound visitors to Taiwan in the first eight months of the year, accounting for 16 percent of all arrivals, following Hong Kong, which contributed 16.2 percent.

To attract more Japanese tourists, the tourism agency has partnered with Taipei 101, Taiwan's most iconic building, to launch a baseball-themed special exhibition featuring Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani's 50th home run ball, according to the statement.

A Taiwanese company acquired the ball, dubbed "the most valuable baseball of all time," for US$4.392 million at an auction held by Goldin Auctions in the United States last month.

In addition to the high-profile exhibit, a visual show using Taipei 101's Tuned Mass Damper will project a giant baseball in the special exhibition being held through March 2, the agency said.

According to the tourism agency, 6.49 million overseas visitors arrived in Taiwan this year as of Nov. 12, surpassing the 6.48 million who visited in 2023, though the number still falls short of pre-pandemic levels.