Declining confidence among Asian travellers to Thailand has also affected the Taiwanese market this year, say travel agents.
Even though the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) remains hopeful about increasing arrivals from Taiwan to 1.2 million in 2026 – up from the 1 million targeted this year – Taiwanese travel agents emphasise the need to upgrade products and services in order to restore tourist confidence.
Sarima Chindamat, director of the Taipei office, said the TAT has revised down the target for this market to 1 million due to several headwinds.
Those include the earthquake in March and call centre scams that lured foreigners to work in neighbouring countries by using Thailand as a transit hub.
One recent factor was the skirmishes along the Thailand-Cambodia border, prompting Taiwan to issue a yellow travel alert for Thailand in July.
US tariffs have also put pressure on the overall economy and impacted spending among tourists, she added.
At present, tourists are seeking more emotional and experiential value during their trips, with smaller groups of 10-30 people and a personalised itinerary.
Potential segments include senior travellers, millennials, families and niche markets such as golfers as well as LGBT tourists.
In terms of capacity, there were 1.9 million airline seats a year between Taiwan and three cities in Thailand – Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket.
Some chartered flights are also operated from second-tier cities in Taiwan, such as Taichung, Tainan and Hualien to Thailand.
As of Sept 22, a total of 716,169 Taiwanese travellers had visited Thailand. The total for all of last year was 1.08 million, far exceeding the 790,039 arrivals recorded in 2019.
Thailand was the sixth most popular outbound destination for Taiwanese tourists, according to first-half data from the Taiwan Tourism Bureau.
Taiwanese tourists’ top five destinations were Japan, China, South Korea, Hong Kong and Vietnam, respectively.
Ms Sarima said the agency is preparing to roll out campaigns for the final three months to gain at least 100,000 tourists a month, paving the way to 1.2 million Taiwanese tourists next year.
It also consistently holds tradeshows and familiarisation trips for agents to boost the market, as well as offering joint promotions with agents and airlines.
Last week, over 300 Taiwanese agents joined the Association of Thai Travel Agents roadshow in Taipei, which was held in collaboration with the TAT.
Penny Chen, managing director of Kai Nan Tourist Club, said that post-pandemic, Taiwanese tourists opted for tours that offered local experiences and city escapes.
Mr Chen said Thailand also has both local and international celebrations which attract Taiwanese tourists, such as the annual New Year countdown event in Bangkok.
Of the company’s outbound packages, Thailand accounted for 30%, while the largest market, representing 60%, was package tours to Japan, which is the most popular destination among Taiwanese every year.
Regarding the sinkhole in Bangkok, Mr Chen said this kind of accident had occurred in many places before, and it should not impact tourist confidence, assuming reliable repair work is carried out.
A rather more important factor in attracting tourists is upgrading attractions to become more friendly to all generations, including senior travellers, along with more quality goods and products.
Fendi Shi, general manager of Gloria Tour, said some Taiwanese tourists are concerned about their children or family members visiting Thailand because of the widespread consumption and misuse of cannabis.
Ms Shi said Thailand should regulate its cannabis consumption more properly and educate members of the public.
It should also roll out campaigns and enforce safety measures to restore tourist confidence in order to deal with the scam centre issue.
She said that since 2-3 years ago, Vietnam has become more popular with new products and cheaper prices than Thailand. Packages for this market now sell more quickly than those for Thailand.
Ms Shi said the company is planning to join the TAT’s chartered flight incentives, as it has been operating routes between Taiwan and Phuket, bringing 500 tourists a month to Thailand.
Anny Lin, general manager of Supreme General Travel Service, said this year tour packages sales for other Southeast Asian markets, such as Malaysia, Singapore and Vietnam, have been outpacing Thailand.
In the past, the company could arrange many large tour groups to Thailand with thousands of tourists a month, but the monthly number has dropped to just 200-300 at present, said Ms Lin.
She said many travel agents have been discounting their tour packages in a bid to attract tourists to compensate for the unsafe perception of Thai tourism.
During next month’s Taiwan National Holiday, the overall Taiwanese outbound market is expected to face challenges due to concerns about the economy and spending, she said.