Taiwan rakes in $11.76 billion in tourism revenue

TAIPEI, Taiwan – A recent survey carried out by the Tourism Bureau showed that the nation’s foreign exchange revenues from tourism reached a record high of US$11.76 billion last year, up by 6.36 percent compared with 2011.

The results of the annual survey showed that 7.3 million international tourists visited Taiwan last year, a 20.1 percent increase from 2011.

However, the survey also revealed that each international tourist last year spent an average of US$234.31 per day, a drop of 9.12 percent.

Tourists spent an average of US$256.87 a day, a fall of 8.39 percent. Business travelers spent an average of US$217.48 a day, down by 6.75 percent.

While the satisfaction rate for quality of travel among international tourists was up 2 percent to 95 percent last year, the percentage of travelers revisiting the nation was down 4 percent at 31 percent.

On average, each traveler spent 6.8 nights in Taiwan, down by 0.18 percent.

The bureau conducted the survey at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and Kaohsiung International Airport.

It interviewed foreign visitors and Taiwanese expatriates living abroad as they exited Taiwan, collecting 6,015 valid samples.

In calculating the buying power of tourists, the bureau took into account money spent on accommodation, dining, transportation, shopping, entertainment and other miscellaneous items.

Chinese tourists were in first place in terms of the daily spend on shopping, averaging US$157.37 a day. They were followed by Japanese tourists and those from Hong Kong or Macau, with daily purchases topping US$71.36 and US$54.27 per person respectively.

Regarding preferred items, Japanese tourists mostly purchased snacks or other food products, while Chinese tourists tended to favor jewelry and jade items.

Regarding total travel costs, Japanese tourists exceeded all others, spending an average of US$308.65 per person per day.

Chinese tourists spent an average of US$265.26.

Except for South Korean tourists, who only reported a travel satisfaction rate of 84 percent, travelers from other countries reported satisfaction rates of more than 92 percent last year. The most satisfied tourists were from China (98.1 percent), followed by those from Australia and New Zealand (98 percent), Europe (97.4 percent), Hong Kong and Macau (96.1 percent) and the US (95.4 percent).

However, compared with 2011, the satisfaction rate among South Korean tourists was up by 12 percent, the highest increase among all tourists.