National Palace Museum in Taiwan struggles with tourist numbers amid cross-strait tension
Opposition lawmaker questions massive drop in visitors from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau
Museum director Hsiao Tsung-huang told media in December that for the museum’s centenary year in 2025 he had a goal of 3.5 million visitors for both the northern branch in Taipei and the southern branch in Chiayi county “whether or not cross-strait travel opens up”.
During a session with the legislature’s education and culture committee on Wednesday, Ko Chih-en, a lawmaker from the Kuomintang (KMT) opposition party, questioned the target.
Ko highlighted visitor figures, which reached 5.29 million when the museum celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2015. In 2016, it welcomed a record high 6.14 million visitors, including 3.32 million from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau.
According to the Taipei-based China Times, Ko said there was a drastic drop in those numbers last year, with only 50,000 visitors from these three regions, influenced by “deteriorating cross-strait relations, political factors and changes in tourism policies”.
In 2024, the museum recorded only 2.87 million visitors, with the largest overseas group coming from South Korea, followed by Japan.
In response, Hsiao reaffirmed his commitment to the 3.5 million visitor target, according to the report.
Cross-strait relations have been in decline since the independence-leading Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) came to power in 2016, prompting both sides of the strait to impose travel restrictions on the other.