Cheese Report May 2026

115年1月中華民國國民出國人次及成長率－按目的地分

1.Record-High Outbound Travel: “Dual-Destination” Trips Become Mainstream

Outbound travel momentum among Taiwanese citizens continues to expand. According to recent statistics, outbound trips reached 5,365,205 in the first quarter of this year, a year-on-year increase of 19.42%, setting a record high for the same period. Conversely, inbound tourists to Taiwan totaled 2,232,044, a year-on-year growth of 4.85%, indicating that the recovery of inbound tourism still needs strengthening. Travel operators have observed that the growth rate of “Dual-Destination” travel patterns is more than double that of traditional single-destination trips. Combining multiple rhythms and experiences into a single journey has now become a mainstream preference for travelers.

2.Looming Global Jet Fuel Shortage Crisis: Summer Travel Costs Expected to Surge

Claudio Galimberti, Chief Economist at Rystad Energy, points out that multiple regions worldwide will face aviation fuel shortages in the coming weeks. He stated that since the onset of the crisis, the global trade supply of jet fuel has decreased by approximately 40%, with the majority of these fuels being refined in the Middle East. Specifically, flight cancellations in Southeast Asia may evolve from sporadic incidents into a systemic norm. Furthermore, California in the United States, which imports a significant portion of its fuel from Asia, is likely to feel the impact shortly thereafter.

3.Travel Alert! New Tourist Taxes to be Implemented Across Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe in 2026

In recent years, many popular tourist cities worldwide have grappled with over-tourism and the resulting strain on public services. In response, several regions have begun planning tourist tax systems. Starting in 2026, various destinations across Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe will implement new tourist taxes or increase current rates, which is bound to raise the overall cost of international travel.

In Japan, the city of Kyoto will adjust its accommodation tax starting in March 2026, with rates tiered based on room prices. While taxes for low-cost accommodations will see a slight uptick, rates for mid-to-high-priced stays will double. The most significant adjustments apply to luxury accommodations, with the highest tier reaching 10,000 yen per night. The Kyoto city government estimates that this new system will generate over 10 billion yen in annual tax revenue, which will be allocated toward city maintenance and tourism management.

4.Taiwanese Travelers Top Spending in Japan for Q1 2026; Chinese Tourist Spending Drops 50.4%

The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) announced today that the total estimated spending by foreign visitors in Japan from January to March 2026 reached 2.3378 trillion yen (approx. NT$465.1 billion), a 2.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Taiwanese travelers emerged as the top spenders, contributing 388.4 billion yen (approx. NT$77.2 billion), accounting for 16.6% of the total.

According to the “Consumption Trend Survey of Foreign Visitors to Japan,” the highest spending in the first quarter of 2026 came from Taiwan (388.4 billion yen), followed by South Korea (318.2 billion yen) in second place, China (271.5 billion yen) in third, the United States (259.2 billion yen) in fourth, and Hong Kong (148.2 billion yen) in fifth.

5.The “Bali Alternative”! Australian Travel Site Names Vietnam’s Phu Quoc as Southeast Asia’s New Favorite

As “Bali Alternatives” becomes a trending search term, Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island is quietly taking center stage. The renowned Australian travel website Escape recently highly recommended Phu Quoc in its list of the “Best Alternatives to Bali,” describing it as one of Southeast Asia’s brightest rising stars, blending affordable costs, breathtaking scenery, and diverse experiences.

For travelers who love tropical beaches, Phu Quoc offers the same elements that originally made Bali so attractive: stretching white sands, turquoise waters, and a laid-back pace. Whether it is Khem Beach, Sao Beach, or the pristine coastline at the southern tip of the island, most areas still retain their natural and pure charm. The island also features a native forest ecosystem and jungle hiking trails, making it ideal for travelers seeking adventure.

● Search Algorithm Update! Google Cracks Down on GBP Keyword Stuffing; AI Overviews Become Key to Rankings

Google launched a major update to its Local SEO algorithms in 2026, targeting a crackdown on spam content within Google Business Profiles (GBP) while expanding the integration of AI Overviews in search results. This transformation is forcing small businesses in the United States to rethink their online visibility strategies and offers crucial insights for digital marketers and SMEs in Taiwan.

Source: LIFE
https://life.tw/?app=view&no=3010073

● 2026 Short Video Trends Unveiled: How Businesses Achieve Precise Monetization via Short Video Marketing

As TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts become the digital domains where global internet users spend the most time, every brand has recognized the importance of short video marketing. However, the market’s harsh reality is that as every brand dives into short-form content, audience attention has become extremely scarce. The “Traffic Dividend Era” –where simply following a dance trend or lip-syncing could garner millions of views –has officially come to an end.

In the face of increasingly stringent algorithms and “ad fatigue” among consumers, where exactly are future short video trends headed? How can businesses avoid the pitfall of “spending heavily on videos with zero conversions”? This article provides a deep dive into the underlying logic of the 2026 short video market and brings you practical insights from industry experts.

Source: Marketers Go
https://www.marketersgo.com/cases/202604/26shorttrend/

● 10 Best TikTok Scrapers: Our Real-World Test Results

The sheer volume of data generated on TikTok every day is almost beyond imagination. With 1.59 billion monthly active users and approximately 23 million videos uploaded daily, the platform presents immense opportunities for marketers, researchers, and e-commerce teams looking to uncover trends, creator insights, and competitive intelligence.

However, there is a catch: TikTok is one of the most difficult major social media platforms to scrape reliably –a fact that most articles claiming to list the “best TikTok scrapers” usually fail to mention upfront.

Source: Thunderbit
https://thunderbit.com/zh-Hant/blog/best-tiktok-scrapers

● Highly Anticipated! XChat Debuts on Apple Store with New Features Revealed

XChat, the “Super App” from Elon Musk’s X platform, was originally scheduled to land on the Apple Store on the 17th but faced an unannounced delay, though pre-orders remained open for iPhone users. After a six-day wait, it officially launched today (the 23rd). Notably, the app was released simultaneously in China with simplified Chinese support, clearly positioning itself as a direct competitor to WeChat. XChat integrates social networking, content, and financial payment services, earning it the nickname “The Western WeChat.” However, unlike its Asian rivals, Musk’s version emphasizes privacy protection as its key selling point, featuring “completely ad-free usage, login without a phone number, message editing, and self-destructing messages (burn-after-reading).”

Source: Yahoo News
https://tw.news.yahoo.com/%E7%9C%BE%E6%89%80%E6%9C%9F%E5%BE%85-xchat%E4%BB%8A%E4%B8%8A%E6%9E%B6apple-store-%E6%96%B0%E5%8A%9F%E8%83%BD%E6%9B%9D%E5%85%89-200600987.html

● AnyMind Group Launches AnyDigital Max: Leveraging AI and UGC to Combat Ad Fatigue and Maximize ROAS

As marketing campaigns grow increasingly complex, advertisers continue to face significant challenges in creating high-performance creative assets. Concurrently, consumers are constantly exposed to repetitive branded content, leading to a prominent phenomenon known as “ad fatigue,” which gradually diminishes the cost-effectiveness of ad placements.

On the other hand, brands are increasingly leveraging influencer and creator-generated content to boost engagement and conversion rates. It is projected that investment in creator and influencer content across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region will continue to grow through 2026. In recent years, the nature of influencer content has undergone a noticeable shift, with marketers moving away from “brand awareness” oriented strategies toward campaigns that emphasize “actual performance.”

Source: AnyMind
https://anymindgroup.com/tw/news/press-release/anydigitalmax_launch

● [2026 Subscription App Insights] Shorter Free Trials, Lower Conversion? Decoding Profitability Keys from 1 Billion Transactions

While AI has leveled the playing field for app development, the difficulty of making a profit hasn’t decreased; instead, it has become more concentrated among a few key players. Building a software product is no longer the primary challenge –the real battlefield lies in “how to keep users paying.”

Subscription data platform RevenueCat has released its State of Subscription Apps 2026 report. By analyzing a massive database of underlying operational records, the report provides an objective examination of the “monetization health” of modern digital products.

Source: Tech Orange
https://techorange.com/2026/04/18/state-of-subscription-apps/