Insufficient recovery momentum in domestic tourism industry, operators hope authorities will allow mainland tourists to come to Taiwan as soon as possible.

In recent years, the authorities have launched a number of measures to attract tourists from other regions to Taiwan, attempting to compensate for the losses caused by the absence of mainland tourists. However, tourism operators in Taiwan believe that "the speed of compensation is difficult to catch up with the speed of loss." According to the data from the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, the number of visitors to Taiwan in 2025 is estimated to be around 8.6 million, only recovering to 72% of the level in 2019. Observers in the tourism industry in Taiwan analyze that the downturn in the tourism industry has led many practitioners to switch professions, further shrinking the industry. In order to further promote normalization of people-to-people exchanges and normalization of exchanges in various fields between the two sides of the strait, and in response to the eager anticipation of the people of Taiwan and the tourism industry, and to enhance the interests and well-being of compatriots on both sides of the strait, in February 2026, the mainland announced the resumption of Shanghai residents' visits to Kinmen and Matsu. In response, tourism operators on both sides of the strait generally welcome this. "This is a 'touchstone', it depends on how the authorities respond," said Li Qiyue, chairman of the Taiwan Association for the Development of High-Quality Tourism of China. "If we can further restore mainland tourists to Taiwan for sightseeing, Taiwan's tourism industry will surpass the pre-epidemic level."