Welcomed 31,766 Indian visitors between Jan-Oct in 2024, reflecting 20% growth.
Taiwan, a destination that isn’t just known as the heart of Asia, but truly captures the continent’s soul, blending its cultural depth and culinary richness into one vibrant destination, letting one experience it all.
With India instrumental as a key market, Taiwan is going all out to boost Indian visitor numbers. From cutting-edge MICE infrastructure and heritage-rich landmarks to serene tea plantations, bustling markets, and a street food scene that rivals the best in Asia – Taiwan is making a bold play for India’s attention. And with Taipei 101 towering over its dynamic skyline, the destination promises an experience as diverse as its landscape.
T3 delves into insights from Paul Shih, Director of TTA – Singapore Office, to uncover the overall growth, travel trends, and know more on India’s performance as a tourism source market for the destination.
Response from India & beyond; Expectations
Taiwan is said to have come strong after the pandemic with robust market-specific strategies and re-entered the Indian market starting Jan 2024. “We have made our grand revival in the Indian market post-pandemic by hosting roadshows, FAMs, and digital activations, as well as participating at various shows and consumer activations to showcase the destination to the Indian travel fraternity and consumers”, mentioned Shih to T3.
He expressed that India has rapidly transformed into one of the largest outbound tourism markets globally. He noted, “This market’s significant expansion, particularly in the post-COVID era, has not only been a boon for the Indian tourism industry but also for destinations worldwide, with Taiwan being a prime example with 20% growth in 8 months.”
According to Shih, India outbound grew by 10% in 2024, whereas, Taiwan welcomed 31,766 Indian visitors between January and October 2024, marking a 20% growth compared to the same period last year. From the overall global markets, Taiwan received a promising figure of 6.2 million international visitors during this period – indicating a 24.55% increase over 2023.
When asked about the expectations and anticipations for this year, Shih stated, “We expect total Indian arrivals to surpass 38,000, while overall international visitor numbers are expected to reach around 7.5 million by year-end.”
Strategy followed & way forward
Taiwan is steadily establishing itself as a preferred destination for Indian travelers. When asked about the strategy behind this growth, Shih attributed it to continuous efforts in India, including trade partnerships, roadshows, FAM trips, PR, media collaborations, influencer campaigns, and digital outreach. Expanding on the digital strategy, he highlighted the recent launch of the 3.0 version of Taiwan’s tourism brand, TAIWAN – Waves of Wonder.
He further added that Taiwan has invested heavily in trade activation combining them strategically with the consumer activations making it easier for Indian partners to promote and sell Taiwan. “Our prime focus was to build the incentive business from India in 2024 which has grown multiple folds over the period”, stated Shih. “Our constant efforts have resulted in a large incentive movement of more than 1100 pax of Asian Paints to Taiwan this month.”
Sharing more insights on what would be the target segments for Taiwan going forward, Shih added that in 2025, Taiwan will continue to focus on incentives coupled with the luxury travel segment from India through various strategic campaigns, while continuing to work closely with the travel trade, ensuring Taiwan remains a top travel choice.
“We shall continue to promote Taiwan as the safest destination for Indians with the availability of Indian food including Jain food, accessibility within the island, great flight connections, and infrastructure to hold large events”, further stated Shih.
Strengthening India-Taiwan ties
Taiwan is focused on strengthening ties, in tourism and beyond, between the two destinations through active engagement with the travel trade fraternity, deeper penetration into target markets in India, exploration of partnership opportunities, and fostering innovation to enhance travel experiences.
According to Shih, Taiwan will continue to cater to the existing markets in India and add East India in the overall promotional strategy this year. “We will continue to strengthen our partnerships with the Indian travel trade, focus on MICE and incentive groups, and expand our outreach beyond metros toTier 2 cities across India”, noted Shih.
Additionally, Taiwan is also looking to build stronger partnerships with OTAs and airlines, creating tailor-made travel packages that cater specifically to the needs of Indian travellers. Shih also highlighted that the cultural exchanges between Taiwan and India have been on the increase in recent years. In addition to the Taiwan films being screened annually in major film festivals of India, performing art groups from Taiwan have also been welcomed by Indian audiences.
He pointed out that Taiwan is not just limited to historical and cultural connections but also there is strong trade connection between the countries. A classic example that he cited is the recent development of Tata Electronics partnership with Taiwan’s PSMC to launch India’s first AI-enabled semiconductor Fab in Gujarat. He also highlighted that exhibitions like SATTE, play a pivotal role in terms of positioning the destination to the large cross section of travel partners and helps stakeholders to forge business ties.