TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan should not worry about the absence of Chinese tourists preventing it from reaching 12 million visitors this year, Transportation Minister Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said Tuesday (Feb. 27).

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan received about 11 million travelers from overseas per year. For 2024, the government has set a goal of 12 million, but China is still not allowing tour groups with its citizens to Taiwan.

Wang said concerns about not reaching this year’s goal were unfounded, Radio Taiwan International (RTI) reported. In 2023, Taiwan received 6.48 million visitors even without Chinese tourists, according to the minister.

Wang said the country would do its utmost to attract more visitors from Japan, South Korea, Southeast Asia, and India. The Tourism Administration is planning to increase its number of overseas offices to 18, including one in India.

The minister also addressed complaints about the high cost of accommodation in Taiwan. Finding more visitors during the low season is one way of reducing high rates, Wang said.

A subsidy program to address staff shortages in the hotel sector had attracted 2,000 applicants. Employers paying a salary of at least NT$33,000 (US$1,043) in the north and NT$31,000 in the south could receive NT$5,000 as an incentive.

The government has also been looking at the possibility of allowing migrant workers to join hotel staff, but no proposal has been completed yet.