Taiwan making final push to achieve goal of 8 million tourists

TAIPEI, Taiwan – The Tourism Bureau said it is making a final push to achieve its goal of recording 8 million overseas travelers to Taiwan by the end of the year.

“We are eying tourists from the Asia Pacific region, especially China and Hong Kong, who may want to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Taiwan,” said Wayne Liu, the bureau’s deputy director-general.

But Liu admitted that the bureau would need some luck to accomplish its goal, as the number of foreign visitors as of Nov. 30 was about 790,000 short of the 8 million mark, which will be an all-time record for Taiwan if it is attained.

The highest number of foreign visitors Taiwan has ever recorded in a month is about 750,000, Liu said, adding that it is hard to forecast whether the 8 million goal could be met.

Earlier this year, the bureau had projected 7.7 million visitors from abroad in 2013, compared with 7.3 million in 2012.