Taiwanese tourists to U.S. up 12.3% in first four months

Taipei, June 8 (CNA) More than 120,000 people from Taiwan traveled to the United States between January and April, with those for tourism purposes up by 12.3 percent from the same period in 2024, according to U.S. official statistics.

A total of 124,293 people traveled from Taiwan to the U.S. in the first four months of 2025, making Taiwan the 18th largest source of visitors to the U.S., said Brenda Tang (唐靜儀), the head of Visit USA Committee Taiwan, at a recent quarterly meeting of the committee, citing data from the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO).

Notably, the number of Taiwanese visitors for tourism, business, and education purposes showed significant growth, with visits for tourism alone increasing by 12.3 percent compared to the same period last year, Tang said during the meeting.

Tang said that favorable exchange rates, the launch of Starlux Airlines' new route to Ontario, California, and EVA Airways' upcoming service to Dallas later this year should all contribute to more growth in the future.

The goal is to restore visitor numbers to at least 80 percent of pre-COVID-19 levels, she said.

NTTO statistics show 499,520 Taiwanese visiting the U.S. in 2019, compared to only 398,813 in 2024.

According to Taiwan Tourism Administration figures, however, outbound departures of Taiwanese nationals to the U.S. were already close to reaching pre-COVID levels in 2024, when departures for the year totaled 532,130.

Outbound departures to the U.S. in 2017, 2018, and 2019 prior to the pandemic totaled 574,512, 569,180, and 550,978, respectively, the Tourism Administration figures showed.

Tang said the U.S. will strengthen promotional efforts in Taiwan in the future, including participating in the 2025 Taipei International Travel Fair (ITF) and the 2025 Tainan Travel Fair, both slated for November.

Meanwhile, Milane Tsai (蔡璧如), Taiwan representative for Brand USA, said future U.S. tourism marketing will adopt a multifaceted approach, including physical and virtual seminars, trade partner training, joint marketing with airlines, and trade show marketing.