Taiwan may reopen to travelers in October

Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) is moving to ease disease-prevention measures and reopen the country’s borders in a progressive, staged manner. The nation’s tourism bureau plans to lift current travel bans, allowing Taiwanese residents to resume normal life after COVID-19.

Taiwan’s borders set to reopen after next COVID-19 wave

The CECC intends to accelerate plans for a full reopening of Taiwan’s borders once the current wave of COVID-19 subsides. That target could be reached as early as October.

In remarks made at Taiwan Tourism Expo / Taipei, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) announced that she has instructed the Executive Yuan to draft a schedule and plan of measures for restoring inbound tourism. While the opening has been delayed due to rising infection rates among neighboring countries, according to Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), CECC leaders are now balancing pandemic controls with tourism and economic recovery goals.

CECC Vice-Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) noted at a press briefing that the agency seeks to balance pandemic control, tourism, and economic recovery. The CECC now expects the Omicron BA.5 subvariant infection rates to peak by late next month or early October, with case counts already rising in northern Taiwan. Any changes, he stressed, must come gradually—such as ending the “one person, one room” regulation.

Wang added that inbound group tourism and shorter quarantine periods would also be introduced in stages. The CECC has already received draft guidance from the Tourism Bureau for agencies that arrange group tours.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and local governments have coordinated pandemic-response measures for schools. For the first four weeks, if one person in a classroom tests positive, the entire class will be suspended for remote learning for three days. Rapid tests will be administered for any student if a case is detected at their school.

The CECC also confirmed that vaccinations for young children are scheduled to begin next Saturday.

Reviving the tourism industry

The Tourism Bureau issued health-prevention guidelines for inbound and local tour operations and ran training sessions for tour guides. Its domestic tourism subsidy program serves as a “warm-up exercise” for operators preparing to welcome back international visitors, according to Wang.

Tourism Bureau Director-General Chang Shi-chung (張錫聰) said the agency is finalizing proposals to lift both outbound travel restrictions for Taiwanese citizens and inbound restrictions for foreign travelers. Two options are under consideration: opening the border to inbound international tourists before allowing outbound travel for Taiwanese, or lifting both restrictions simultaneously.