On the 7th, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau held the “Taiwan B2B Tourism Briefing” at the Park Hyatt Busan in Haeundae, Busan, marking the start of its full-scale efforts to diversify inbound tourism demand from South Korea. Twenty-three Taiwanese travel agencies, airlines, and hotels participating in the event met with representatives from the South Korean travel industry to explore new opportunities for inbound tourism. On the 9th and 10th, a B2C roadshow featuring slogans such as “Taiwan Once Again” and “Taiwan 100 Ways” was also held at Piak, a multi-cultural complex in Yeongdo.
Recently, Busan has been raising its profile as a hub city catering to inbound demand from Taiwan. Gimhae International Airport, which operates the most routes to Taiwan—including Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung—among all domestic airports, saw a sharp increase in passengers traveling to Taiwan during the first half of this year, reaching 946,202. This represents a 51.8% increase compared to the first half of last year (623,167 passengers) and is twice the 23.2% growth in total international passenger traffic at Gimhae Airport during the same period. In effect, passengers on Taiwan routes drove up the airport’s overall passenger volume.
In June, Starlux Airlines launched new service, making Gimhae the only airport in the country served by all three Taiwanese carriers—China Airlines, EVA Air, and Starlux Airlines. This underscores Busan’s position as a key hub for tourism to Taiwan.
At the briefing, efforts to diversify travel packages and tourist destinations drew attention. Until now, group tours from South Korea to Taiwan have typically followed a standard 3-night, 4-day itinerary centered on Taipei, including day trips to nearby towns such as Jiufen and Shifen. These programs did not take into account the nature or size of the group.
The Forestry and Natural Resources Conservation Bureau introduced Taiwan’s 19 national parks and various hiking trails as new travel itineraries. Yang Chen-yi, a manager in the Forest Leisure Division of the Forestry Bureau, said, “I understand that Koreans enjoy hiking, but these trails seem to be relatively unknown because they are difficult to access on individual trips,” adding, “We hope this event will increase demand for trekking tours in Taiwan.”
Lion Travel, Taiwan’s largest travel agency, highlighted its rail travel packages as its main offering. These packages feature sightseeing tours aboard unique trains, such as those with passenger compartments entirely lined with hinoki cypress or those serving dessert bento boxes made with local ingredients. Another notable feature is that the routes—including Alishan, famous for its premium tea, as well as Fangliao, Cixiang, and Taitung—are primarily concentrated in areas rarely visited by Korean tourists.
An official at a Korean travel agency operating in Taiwan said, “We’ve tried planning tourism packages specializing in a single theme, such as gourmet food or whiskey, in the past, but they didn’t translate into sales because travelers preferred standard itineraries.” He added, “With interest in Taiwan growing recently, travel demand is becoming more diverse, so we’re currently re-designing themed packages that reflect travelers’ preferences.”
