Taipei Times
Date: Oct 05, 2017
By: Staff writer, with CNA
The number of foreign tourists visiting the nation this year can exceed last year’s
Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan talks to the media during a news conference in Taipei on Monday. Photo: Chen Yi-chia, Taipei Times
record number, despite a weakness in the tourism industry early this year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Hochen Tan (賀陳旦) said during a legislative session on Monday.
A total of 6.87 million tourists visited the nation in the first eight months of this year, a decline of 3.89 percent from the same period last year, but Hochen said there are indications that the situation might improve.
Visits by Chinese tourists had fallen every month from January to July on an annual basis, but the trend reversed in August, when 249,999 Chinese came to Taiwan, compared with 248,538 in August last year, Hochen said.
The minister said he expects to see significant growth in arrivals from Southeast Asian nations thanks to the government’s New Southbound Policy. [FULL STORY]