Taiwan sees record 5.57 million visitors in 2010

Jan 11, 2011, 13:04 GMT

Taipei - The number of visitors to Taiwan rose to a record 5.57 million last year, up by 1.17 million or 26.7 per cent from 2009, the Tourism Bureau said Tuesday.

Of the total, 3.25 million came to Taiwan for tourism, up 41.2 per cent from 2009, it said.

Mainland Chinese topped the list of visitors, followed by Japan and Malaysia, the bureau said. It attributed the 67 per cent rise in Chinese visits to more direct flights, opening of the Taipei and Shanghai airports and swap of travel offices between the two sides.

It said the overall increase was due to various promotion efforts, including inviting famed show business stars from Asia to be Taiwan's tourism ambassadors, airing television programmes in other countries introducing the island's food, local cultures and specialties.

Encouraging budget airlines to include Taiwan in their travel routes was another factor that prompted visitors to take advantage of the relatively cheaper flights to the island, it said.

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