2012 Survey of Travel by R.O.C Citizens
Executive Summary
The objectives of this study are to understand, in 2012, citizens’ traveling activities, degrees of satisfaction and amounts spent on different types of vacation expenses on each trip; and to learn the mutual effects of domestic tourism and outbound travels. It also provides estimates on domestic tourism expenditures and foreign exchange spent on oversea travels. The results of this study provide policy makers needed information on developing new tourist facilities, improving traveling environments, upgrading the quality of tourism and initiating new tourism policies. The population of this survey includes all R.O.C. citizens who were 12 years or older in 2012. The survey period covered from January1, 2012 through December 31, 2012.
This survey was designed primarily to collect domestic tourism data. However, outbound traveling data was also collected as a secondary objective. The survey interviews were conducted by telephone, using a computer-assisted telephone interviewing system (CATI). A stratified random sampling was used to select the sample. The total initial sample was divided into four panels; and a rotation scheme was instituted so that each sample person was interviewed once every quarter for four consecutive quarters. However, sample of each quarter composed of four panels that first panel was interviewed the first time; second panel was interviewed the second time; third panel was interviewed the third time; and the fourth panel was interviewed the fourth time. The numbers of completed domestic tourism interviews were as follows: first quarter 5,574 persons, second quarter 5,552 persons, third quarter 5,598 persons and fourth quarter 5,567 persons. The completed outbound interviews were fewer: first quarter 399 persons, second quarter 470 persons, third quarter 519 persons and fourth quarter 423 persons.
The survey results are summarized in the following in two parts: important indexes of domestic and outbound travels and statistical analysis.
I、Important Indexes of Domestic and Outbound Travels
A. R.O.C. Citizens’ Domestic Tourist Travel Index
Table 1 R.O.C. Citizens’ Domestic Tourist Travel Index
Item / 2012 / 2011 / ChangeProportion of people taking domestic tourist travel / 92.2% / 95.4% / A decrease of 3.2%
Average number of trips per person / 6.87 trips / 7.42 trips / A decrease of 0.55 trips
Total number of trips / 142,069,000 trips / 152,268,000 trips / A decrease of 6.7%
Average number of days per trip / 1.47 days / 1.50 days / No significant change
Percentages of trips taken during holidays and weekends / 71.2% / 69.7% / An increase of 1.5%
Over all degree of satisfaction / 98.1% / 98.1% / No significant change
Average expenses
per person day on trip / NT$1,293
(US$43.66) / NT$1,359
(US$46.10) / NT：A decrease of 4.9%
(US：A decrease of 5.3%)
Average expenses
per person trip / NT$1,900
(US$64.16) / NT$2,038
(US$69.14) / NT：A decrease of 6.8%
(US：A decrease of 7.2%)
Total expenditure of domestic travels / NT$269.9 billions
(US$9.114 billions) / NT$310.3 billions
(US$10.527 billions) / NT：A decrease of 13.0%
(US：A decrease of 13.4%)
Note：1.The population of this survey includes all R.O.C. citizens who were 12 years or older.
2. “No significant change” means there is no significant difference under significance level
3. Proportion of people taking domestic tourist travel means the proportion of people who at least took one time
domestic travel during this year.
4. Average expenses per person day on trip= Average expenses per person trip/ Average number of days per trip.
5. Exchange rate was 29.477 for 2011,and 29.614 for 2012。
6. In 2011, the R.O.C centennial and Taipei International Flora Exp., the total number of domestic tourist trips were
highest in recent years.
7. The total number of domestic tourist trips in 2012 had an increase of 14.6% from 2010, the total expenditure of
domestic travels had an increase of 13.4% from 2010 。
Table 2 2010~2012 R.O.C. Citizens’ Domestic Tourist Travel Index
Item / 2010 / 2011 / 2012Proportion of people taking domestic tourist travel / 93.9% / 95.4% / 92.2%
Average number of trips per person / 6.08 trips / 7.42 trips / 6.87 trips
Total number of trips / 123,937,000 trips / 152,268,000 trips / 142,069,000 trips
Average number of days per trip / 1.49 days / 1.50 days / 1.47 days
Percentages of trips taken during holidays and weekends / 71.9% / 69.7% / 71.2%
Over all degree of satisfaction / 98.0% / 98.1% / 98.1%
Average expenses
per person day on trip / NT$1,289
(US$40.80) / NT$1,359
(US$46.10) / NT$1,293
(US$43.66)
Average expenses
per person trip / NT$1,921
(US$60.81) / NT$2,038
(US$69.14) / NT$1,900
(US$64.16)
Total expenditure of domestic travels / NT$238.1 billions
(US$7.537 billions) / NT$310.3 billions
(US$10.527 billions) / NT$269.9 billions
(US$9.114 billions)
Note：1.The population of this survey includes all R.O.C. citizens who were 12 years or older.
2. “No significant change” means there is no significant difference under significance level
3. Proportion of people taking domestic tourist travel means the proportion of people who at least took one time
domestic travel during this year.
4. Average expenses per person day on trip= Average expenses per person trip/ Average number of days per trip.
5. Exchange rate was 31.592 for 2010, 29.477 for 2011,and 29.614 for 2012。
6. In 2011, the R.O.C centennial and Taipei International Flora Exp., the total number of domestic tourist trips were
highest in recent years.
7. The total number of domestic tourist trips in 2012 had an increase of 14.6% from 2010, the total expenditure of
domestic travels had an increase of 13.4% from 2010 。
B. R.O.C. Citizens’ Outbound Travel Index
Table 3 R.O.C. Citizens’ Outbound Travel Index
Item / 2012 / 2011 / ChangeProportion of people taking outbound travels / 20.6% / 19.1% / An increase of 1.5%
Total number of trips / 10,239,760 trips / 9,583,873 trips / An increase of 6.8%
Average number of outbound trips per person / 0.44 trip / 0.41 trip / No significant change
Average number of nights per trip / 9.06 nights / 9.33 nights / A decrease of 0.27 nights
Average expenditure per person trip / NT$48,740
(US$1,646) / NT$48,436
(US$1,643) / NT$: No significant change
(US$: No significant change)
Total expenditure on outbound travels / NT$499.1 billions
(US$16.854 billions) / NT$464.2 billions
(US$15.748 billions) / NT$: An increase of 7.5%
(US$: An increase of 7.0%)
Note:：1.The data source of total number of trips and the average number of nights per trip: Monthly Statistics on Tourism.
2. “No significant change” means there is no significant difference under significance level.
3. Proportion of people taking outbound travels means the proportion of people who at least took one time outbound
travel during this year.
4. Average number of outbound trips per person = total number of outbound trips /the average of 12 months total
population in Taiwan
5. Average expenditure per person trip included airfare, visa fees, hotel bills and all the spending in foreign,
but not include the spending in Taiwan before and after outbound trip.
6. Average expenditure per person trip is estimated based only on trips with 60 nights or fewer.
7. Exchange rate was 29.477 for 2011 while exchange rate for 2012 was 29.614.
Table 4 2010~2012 R.O.C. Citizens’ Outbound Travel Index
Item / 2010 / 2011 / 2012Proportion of people taking outbound travels / 20.1% / 19.1% / 20.6%
Total number of trips / 9,415,074 trips / 9,583,873 trips / 10,239,760 trips
Average number of outbound trips per person / 0.41 trip / 0.41 trip / 0.44 trip
Average number of nights per trip / 9.29 nights / 9.33 nights / 9.06 nights
Average expenditure per person trip / NT$46,434
(US$1,470) / NT$48,436
(US$1,643) / NT$48,740
(US$1,646)
Total expenditure on outbound travels / NT$437.1 billions
(US$13.836 billions) / NT$464.2 billions
(US$15.748 billions) / NT$499.1 billions
(US$16.854 billions)
Note：l.The data source of total number of trips and the average number of nights per trip: Monthly Statistics on Tourism.
2. “No significant change” means there is no significant difference under significance level.
3. Proportion of people taking outbound travels means the proportion of people who at least took one time outbound
travel during this year.
4. Average number of outbound trips per person = total number of outbound trips /the average of 12 months total
population in Taiwan
5. Average expenditure per person trip included airfare, visa fees, hotel bills and all the spending in foreign,
but not include the spending in Taiwan before and after outbound trip.
6. Average expenditure per person trip is estimated based only on trips with 60 nights or fewer.
7. Exchange rate was 31.592 for 2010, 29.477 for 2011, and 29.614 for 2012.
II、Statistical Analysis
A. Domestic Travels
1. The estimated total number of domestic tourist trips reached 142.07 millions, an increase of 14.6% from 2010, but a decrease of 6.7% from 2011: According to the survey, the average number of trips per person during the year 2012 was 6.87 trips (an increase of 0.79 trips from 2010, but a decrease of 0.55 trips from 2011). The estimated total number of domestic tourist trips taken by citizens of 12 years or older was 142,069,000 trips. And the total number of trips traveled by all citizens was estimated at 164,826,000 trips.
Table 5 Average number of domestic trips per person
Unit: trip
Year / 1st Quarter / 2nd Quarter / 3rd Quarter / 4th Quarter / Whole Year(1st Quarter~4th Quarter)
2010 / 1.62 / 1.51 / 1.50 / 1.45 / 6.08
2011 / 2.07 / 1.87 / 1.73 / 1.75 / 7.42
2012 / 1.74 / 1.63 / 1.75 / 1.75 / 6.87
2. In 2012, 92.2% of citizens had domestic travels: According to the survey, in 2012, 92.2% of the citizens had at least one domestic travel. Compared with 2010 and 2011, there were decreases of 2 percentages and 3 percentages, respectively.
Table 6 Proportions of People taking Domestic Tourist Travel
Unit: %
Year / 1st Quarter / 2nd Quarter / 3rd Quarter / 4th Quarter / Whole Year(1st Quarter~4th Quarter)
2010 / 72.9 / 66.8 / 65.2 / 67.3 / 93.9
2011 / 74.9 / 68.1 / 69.2 / 68.8 / 95.4
2012 / 72.6 / 66.4 / 64.8 / 65.8 / 92.2
.
3. “Wished to travel but did not have time” was the main reason for people not having domestic travel: In 2012, 8% of people did not take any domestic tourist travel. And the leading reason for not taking domestic travel was “Wished to travel but did not have time” (43%); the second major reasons were “Wished to travel but had poor health” (18%)、 “Wished to travel but could not afford” (16%) and “Not interested” (16%). Compared with 2010 and 2011, the reasons for not taking domestic travel were no significantly different from 2010 and 2011.
Table 7 Reasons for not traveling
Unit: %
Item / 2010 / 2011 / 2012Total / 100.0 / 100.0 / 100.0
Wished to travel but did not have time / 41.6 / 40.3 / 43.1
Wished to travel but had poor health / 15.7 / 18.5 / 18.0
Wished to travel but could not afford / 20.4 / 20.6 / 16.1
Not interested / 17.9 / 14.4 / 15.9
Wished to travel but could not find companions / 1.9 / 2.1 / 2.0
Wished to travel but did not know good tourist places / 1.2 / 1.6 / 2.2
Wished to travel but had transportation problem / — / 1.0 / —
Wished to travel but tourist places were too crowded / — / 0.8 / 0.3
Wished to travel but weather were poor / 1.1 / 0.6 / 0.8
Outbound travel / — / — / 0.8
Wished to travel but had accommodation problem / — / — / —
Other reasons / 0.2 / — / 0.8
Note: “—” means no sample in the cell.
4. Most of the domestic tourist trips were taken on weekends: In 2012, 61% of the domestic tourist trips were taken on weekends, 29% of domestic trips were taken on weekdays and 10% of domestic trips were taken on national holidays. Compared with 2010 and 2011, taken on weekends had no significant difference from 2010, but had an increase of 1% from 2011; taken on weekdays had no significant difference from 2010, but had a decrease of 2% from 2011. As for the purposes of the domestic travels, 82% were for “sightseeing, recreation, vacation”, followed by “visiting friends and relatives” (18%). Compared with 2010 and 2011, “Physical exercising vacations” had an increase of 1% from 2010 and 2011; “visiting friends and relatives” had a decrease of 2% from 2010, but had an increase of 1% from 2011; “Pure Sightseeing, Recreation, Vacation” had no significantly different from 2010, but had a decrease of 2% from 2011.
Table 8 Days Used For Domestic Tourist Travel
Unit: %
Days of Travel / 2010 / 2011 / 2012total / 100.0 / 100.0 / 100.0
National Holidays / Sub Total / 11.8 / 10.2 / 10.4
Lunar New Year holidays / 8.4 / 6.1 / 6.6
February 28 Memorial Festival / － / 0.5 / 1.0
Tomb sweeping Festival / 2.0 / 1.7 / －
Dragon boat Festival / － / 0.4 / －
Moon Festival / － / 0.8 / －
Double Tenth Day / － / 0.5 / －
New year holiday / 0.8 / － / 0.3
Other national holidays / 0.6 / 0.2 / 2.5
Weekends / 60.1 / 59.5 / 60.8
Weekdays / Sub Total / 28.1 / 30.3 / 28.8
Annual leaves / 9.1 / 10.2 / 11.3
Summer or winter breaks / 1.4 / 1.8 / 1.6
Other weekdays / 17.6 / 18.3 / 15.9
Note: “—” means did not include long weekend holidays in this year.
Table 9 Purposes of Domestic Tourist Travels
Unit: %
Purpose of the Trip / 2010 / 2011 / 2012Total / 100.0 / 100.0 / 100.0
Sightseeing, Recreation, Vacation / Sub Total / 79.4 / 82.5 / 82.0
Pure Sightseeing, Recreation, Vacation / 64.5 / 66.3 / 64.4
Physical exercising vacations / 4.7 / 5.4 / 6.2
Ecological tours / 4.3 / 4.3 / 4.5
Conference or Studying Tour / 1.4 / 1.8 / 1.3
Religious travels / 4.5 / 4.7 / 4.8
Business and tourist travel / 0.9 / 1.0 / 0.9
Visiting friends and relatives / 19.6 / 16.4 / 17.7
Others / 0.1 / 0.1 / 0.2
5. 72% of the domestic tourist trips were one-day trips: For the year 2012, about 63% of the trips were taken within the living region of the travelers; observing based on traveler’s residence region, we found that in all regions, most of the trips were traveled within the same region that they live in. As for duration of the trips, most of them (72%) were one-day trips, followed by 18% of two-day trips, 7% of three-day trips, and 3% of four-day or more trips. Average duration of a trip was 1.47 days, not significantly different from 2010 and 2011.