Taiwan to reward repeat foreign visitors with incentives of up to NT$8,000

Taiwan's Tourism Administration announced on Wednesday (17 June) that it would reward repeat international visitors with incentives of up to NT$8,000 (US$248) in an effort to boost inbound tourism.

The incentives are open to all international tourists. Repeat visitors will be rewarded with NT$5,000 and will receive an additional NT$3,000 if they bring travel companions, the agency said.

The agency said the scheme is intended to encourage repeat international visitors to undertake more in-depth travel and to take part in business and exhibition activities.

The nation received 2,990,657 inbound visitors during the first quarter, marking a 3.8 per cent increase from the same period last year, according to agency data.

Japanese nationals are among the groups visiting Taiwan the most. About 1.48 million Japanese tourists arrived in 2025, a year-on-year increase of more than 12 per cent.

This brought Japanese arrivals to nearly 70 per cent of the 2019 level, before the disruption to international travel caused by the pandemic.

According to the Tourism Administration, this indicates that Japan remains one of Taiwan's most important source markets.

Japan is scheduled to reduce its passport application fee to ￥7,000 (US$44) from ￥15,900 with effect from 1 July. In response, the Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA) launched a campaign on 16 June, branded "Go Overseas", to encourage more Japanese nationals to travel abroad.

Tourism Administration Director-General Chen Yu-hsiu earlier met with JATA president Kuniharu Ebina and Hankyu Travel International chairman Jun Sakai to encourage more Japanese tourists to visit Taiwan.

With Japan's passport fee adjustment and Taiwan's incentives for repeat international visitors, the parties expressed hope that the measures would motivate more Japanese nationals to visit Taiwan, the Tourism Administration said.

The agency added that it would continue providing travel stimulus for people who arrive for trade exhibitions.

Long weekend travel surge

Separately, people travelling overseas during the Dragon Boat Festival long weekend have been advised to arrive at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport early. More than 713,000 people are scheduled to travel overseas between Thursday and the following Monday.

The average daily number of people accessing the airport is estimated to reach 143,000, surpassing last year's average of 132,000, Taiwan International Airport Corp said. The figure also exceeded the daily average of 138,000 recorded in 2019.

Passenger traffic at the airport during the long weekend is forecast to peak on Friday at 149,000, the company added.

The company called on travellers to arrive at the airport at least three hours before boarding, to check in online and to use self-service baggage drop facilities.

Travellers can also reduce waiting time by using e-Gates, it said. They can check the estimated waiting time for security checks, which is produced using artificial intelligence.

As of 20 May, the nation's largest international airport had been accessed by more than 20 million people this year. The benchmark was reached 15 days earlier than last year and nine days earlier than in 2019.