Jeju Island is gaining momentum as a preferred destination for Taiwanese travelers, bolstered by the popularity of the Netflix original series When Life Gives You Tangerines, visits by high-profile YouTubers, and the expansion of direct air and sea routes between the two regions.
According to the Jeju Tourism Organization on Apr. 16, a total of 159,485 Taiwanese tourists visited the island in 2024—more than double the 69,941 recorded the previous year. The figure also marks a historic high, surpassing the previous peak of 87,981 in 2019 by 81.27%. In the first two months of this year alone, 19,217 Taiwanese visitors arrived, a 50.7% increase from 12,754 during the same period in 2023.
For years, Chinese and Japanese nationals made up the top two foreign visitor groups to Jeju. However, Taiwanese tourists overtook their Japanese counterparts in 2023 to become the island’s second-largest foreign demographic. In 2024, visitors from China topped the list at 1,383,013, followed by Taiwan at 159,485. Japan came in third with 78,734.
One of the main drivers behind the surge in Taiwanese visitors has been the influence of Taiwanese YouTubers. In December 2022, the Jeju Tourism Organization invited the creators of “Tsai A-ga,” a YouTube channel with 2.56 million subscribers, to film a travel series on the island. Their five-day, four-night tour video quickly rose to No. 1 on YouTube’s trending list in Taiwan. As of this month, the two-part video has amassed over 2.1 million views.
Capitalizing on the video’s success, a Taiwanese travel agency launched a Jeju tour package in March 2023 that followed the same itinerary. The package sold out in under a month, with all 800 slots fully booked.
The YouTubers returned last year and uploaded another video featuring stops at Dodu Haesu Sauna, Dongmun Public Market, Eco Land, Udo Island, Oedolgae Sea Stack, and a coin karaoke room. That video has since drawn 1.88 million views. Travel industry sources in Jeju said locations frequently visited by Taiwanese tourists are often places featured by top content creators.
Further fueling the island’s appeal was the success of When Life Gives You Tangerines, a Netflix series filmed in Jeju. According to the platform’s official rankings site, “Netflix Top 10,” the show—which aired between Mar. 7 and Mar. 28—ranked No. 1 in Taiwan last week among non-English-language TV series. Key scenes showcasing Jeju’s canola flower fields and haenyeo (traditional female divers) helped spark renewed interest in the island’s distinctive cultural offerings.
Improvements in transportation infrastructure have also played a significant role. Direct flights between Jeju and Taipei were introduced by Tigerair Taiwan and T’way Air in November and December 2022. Eastar Jet joined the route in January 2024, enabling daily service.
Cruise routes from Taiwan, which had been suspended due to the pandemic, resumed last year, with seven cruise ships docking at Gangjeong Port in Seogwipo.
Direct flights between Jeju and Kaohsiung are also set to resume for the first time in five years. Beginning Apr. 22, T’way Air will operate the route four times a week.
In addition, Jeju is preparing to welcome a significant number of corporate travelers from Taiwan. Wangpin Group, the country’s largest restaurant conglomerate established in 1993, plans to send more than 2,100 employees to Jeju across 23 group tours throughout the year.
A Jeju Tourism Organization official said the agency expects strong interest from Taiwanese visitors to continue this year. “We’ve supported the development of themed tour packages spotlighting K-drama and variety show filming locations in Jeju,” the official said. “We’re also working closely with travel agencies in Taiwan to further expand demand for trips to the island.”
