Foreign arrivals expected to plunge 89% this yearBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThe number of foreign arrivals in Taiwan is estimated to drop from 11.86 million last year to 1.35 million this year, an 89 percent drop, after countries around the world imposed travel restrictions to contain the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tourism Bureau said in a report yesterday. The report, which was presented at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, showed that from January to August, 1.29 million foreign tourists visited Taiwan, down 83.84 percent from a year earlier. For the full year, the bureau expects inbound tourism would drop to a 20-year low of 1.35 million. An empty duty-free shopping area is pictured at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on June 19. On a brighter note, the number of domestic trips taken by citizens could top 210 million this year, a 10-year high, it said.

Source: Taipei Times October 12, 2020 15:56 UTC