Travel and Spending Are Flowing to Asia: Can International Guests Find Your Property?

As travel in North America and Europe quietly cools, suitcases around the world are being packed for Asia.

This isn't just a rotation of tourist crowds. It's a real shift of cross-border spending and business opportunity happening in Asia.

Money is flowing to Asia

Citing a report by the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and Chase Travel, Skift reports that international visitor spending in Asia-Pacific grew 8.3% in 2025. Over the same period, North America declined 3.3%, with the US down 4.6%. One region is rising while the other falls.

Why? Countries such as China, South Korea and Thailand have eased visa-free entry and increased tourism marketing budgets, while stricter US entry policies and cuts to tourism promotion have discouraged travelers.

And Taiwan is part of this market

This is the part most relevant to you. Phocuswright's Northeast Asia travel market report covers South Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, with China seen as the main source market driving the region.

The report projects that Northeast Asia online travel bookings will exceed US$30 billion in 2026, with online channels reaching 57% of bookings.

What does 57% mean? Nearly 6 in 10 travelers book online—not by phone, in a store or through friends. And that share is still rising.

More than half search online—then what?

The question becomes very concrete. When an office worker in Seoul searches for a guesthouse in Taiwan on their phone, is your property in that app?

If not, no matter how comfortable your rooms, how good your breakfast or how friendly your host, you simply don't exist to them.

Travelers from different countries also use different apps. Southeast Asian and local Taiwanese travelers often use Agoda, Western travelers are more familiar with Booking.com, and Chinese-speaking travelers may come through Trip.com. Listing on just one platform means opening just one window.

Even after listing, there's another hurdle: when travelers scroll past you, the first photo, how reasonable your rate is locally and whether availability is current decide whether they stop or keep scrolling.

Key Takeaways

1. 1

   Momentum is shifting to Asia: International visitor spending in Asia-Pacific grew 8.3% in 2025 while North America declined.

2. 2

   Most bookings happen online: Taiwan is part of Northeast Asia, where online booking share is expected to reach 57% in 2026—more than half of travelers.

3. 3

   Multi-channel means visibility: Travelers from different countries prefer different platforms; multi-channel distribution lets Southeast Asian, Chinese-speaking and Western travelers all find you.

After reading, tap the button below to talk with H&:

• How many platforms is my property on now? Which ones am I missing for Asian travelers?
• Do multilingual listings (English, Korean, Japanese) really help bookings?
• Do international travelers look for different things in photos than Taiwanese guests? Do I need new photos?
• Can H& help assess which guest segment and platform my property should focus on?