Taiwan's cruise ship arrivals reach 900,000 in 2024

Taipei, Jan. 17 (CNA) The number of passengers who arrived on cruise ships at Taiwan's maritime ports reached around 900,000 in 2024, with 35 percent of them being foreign visitors, Taiwan International Ports Corp. (TIPC) said Friday.

Although the number of arriving passengers last year was below the pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 1.055 million in 2019, the proportion of foreign visitors has nevertheless increased, TIPC said at a press conference.

In 2019, the number of foreign cruise passengers reached 322,000, which accounted for approximately 31 percent of the total that year, the company said,

In comparison, last year about 316,000 foreign cruise passengers, or 35 percent of the total, arrived at Taiwan's maritime ports, it added.

Among them, Japanese tourists made up the majority, at 12.2 percent, followed by tourists from the United States (6.7 percent), Germany (3 percent), and South Korea (2.5 percent).

Compared with all other maritime ports around Taiwan, the Port of Keelung received the highest number of foreign passengers in 2024, at 266,000, followed by the Port of Kaohsiung at 35,000.

The cruise ship that brought in the most foreign passengers last year was the MSC Bellissima, which made port calls between Keelung and Naha, Japan, from January to March in 2024, and again from November to December that year, TIPC said.

As for overall visitors, Keelung port welcomed 331 visits by international cruise ships and a total of 787,000 passengers in 2024, according to TIPC statistics.

According to the company's Keelung branch office, the Port of Keelung also saw a significant increase in the number of South Korean tourists last year compared with 2018.

South Korea and Taiwan share similar living standards and are geographically close, offering significant potential for market growth in the future, the office said.

This year, TIPC has already engaged twice with South Korea's largest travel agency, Rakuten Travel, in hopes of continuing cooperation to increase Taiwan-South Korea cruise tourism, the company said.

Looking ahead, TIPC said 572 international cruise ships are expected to visit Taiwan this year, a nearly 40 percent increase compared with the 414 port calls made in 2024.

The estimated number of arriving cruise passengers in 2025 would be about 980,000, representing an approximately 8 percent growth compared to 2024, it added.