Foreign Tourists Only Visit Taipei and New Taipei? Lai Cheng-yi Hopes for 5 Major Resort Zones

(Central News Agency, Reporter Chiang Ming-yen, Taipei, June 29) Lai Cheng-yi, chairman of the National Hotel Association, stated today that nearly 70% of international hotel guests are concentrated in Taipei and New Taipei. He hopes the government will promote 5 international tourist resort zones, with central and local governments jointly integrating land, transportation, hotels, entertainment, culture, and investment attraction, to encourage foreign tourists to make special trips, stay longer, and spend continuously, driving a trillion-dollar tourism economy.

Lai Cheng-yi, chairman of the National Hotel Association and honorary chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce, stated in a press release today that 12 years ago he suggested Taiwan emulate Singapore's Sentosa and establish 5 large-scale tourist zones in Taiwan. To date, no concrete progress has been made. After the pandemic, countries are competing to add attractions and capture international tourist sources. Taiwan can no longer rely solely on single-point subsidies and festival activities to boost tourism.

According to a 2024 survey by the Tourism Administration, 88.19% of international travelers visit northern Taiwan, while the east coast accounts for only 3.52% and the outlying islands 0.62%. Furthermore, according to the 2025 monthly report on hotel operations, there were a total of 4,789,119 overnight stays by non-national guests. Of these, Taipei and New Taipei combined accounted for 3,346,634 stays, representing nearly 69.9% of the total in Taiwan. This indicates that "nearly 70% of overnight stays by non-national hotel guests are concentrated in Taipei and New Taipei." The top ten rankings are concentrated in the metropolitan areas of the six special municipalities and Hsinchu County and City, with only Yilan and Nantou being scenic counties.

Lai Cheng-yi pointed out that the problem is not a lack of appeal in central and southern Taiwan, Hualien, Taitung, or the outlying islands, but rather a lack of comprehensive products that allow tourists to extend their stays from urban areas for 3 to 5 days or even a week, including transportation, quality accommodation, cultural entertainment, MICE activities, and international marketing. Currently, the pressure of a large number of tourists is almost entirely borne by the accommodation and transportation in Taipei and New Taipei, while other regions have not fully shared in the tourism dividends. This is precisely the structural imbalance in Taiwan's tourism.

He reiterated the concept of "Five New Sentosas," suggesting that the 5 tourist zones could be developed according to local conditions. First, the Shimen, Jinshan, and Wanli area, combining hot springs and coastal ecology. Second, Fuxing District, Taoyuan's Lalashan, connecting giant trees, mountain lakes, and agricultural tourism. Third, the Hehuanshan and Cingjing scenic areas, with their high-mountain scenery and azalea seas being very distinctive. Fourth, the Alishan, Caoling, and Zhushan scenic areas, where one can view sea of clouds and cherry blossoms, enjoy slow travel, and experience ecology and indigenous culture. A cable car could be built from Alishan's Laiji Village directly to Alishan, saving one and a half hours of travel time. Fifth, the Zengwen Reservoir scenic area, on the border of Dapu, Chiayi, and Tainan, is suitable for developing lake views and water tourism.

He suggested that the Executive Yuan establish a vice-premier-level "Tourism National Team" to integrate the division of labor between central and local governments, complete land inventory, environmental carrying capacity assessments, public transportation facilities, and regulatory integration, forming investable conditions to attract international hotel, MICE, cultural entertainment, and tourism capital. He also proposed establishing the "Taiwan Tourism Industry Research Institute" to track issues such as overnight stays, consumption, transportation, investment returns, and talent shortages in the long term. (Editor: Chang Chun-mao) 1150629

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